Worth It
by hannahthewordsmith
Summary: This is the story of how four mutant women ended up at Charles Xavier's mansion, and what happened during that time. Nobody said life would be easy. They just said it would be worth it. First Class, AU  Charles/OC Havok/OC Beast/OC Banshee/OC
1. Chapter 1

**So this story is definitely AU, Charles obviously isn't in a wheelchair, but I really couldn't find a spot to place it in the movie before that moment when he lost his legs. So yeah, this is an AU story. If you don't like AU, then there is a little button in the top left hand corner. Just click that and you'll be back to the menu. I really shouldn't be starting this story, but the plot bunny has been chewing on my muse since I saw the movie on Saturday, and she's starting to get teeth marks.**

Charles stared at Cerebro with a curious look on his face. He had been sitting in his room, reading, when he suddenly felt like he needed to be in Cerebro, searching for mutants.

"Charles?" He turned and gave a small smile to Hank, who was watching him with a concerned look on his face. "Do you need to use Cerebro?" Charles looked from Hank to Cerebro for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, Hank, I believe I do." The pair wandered up into the sphere. "Is it possible to locate a single mutant using this?" Hank stopped to think, and then shrugged.

"It's possible, I suppose. Just think about the mutant you want to find." Charles nodded and placed the helmet on his head. The problem was, he hadn't a clue who it was he was searching for. But as soon as Hank turned on Cerebro, four faces popped into his mind.

All females, one couldn't be any older than Charles himself, and the other three were probably around the ages of the other men in the mansion. Reading their thoughts, he discovered that they all seemed terrified. He widened the shot in his mind of them and saw they were pressed against the wall of an alleyway.

The older woman had her arm over the younger woman's, the brunette one's, chest, as if protecting her, and the other two had linked arms with each other and the other girl. Charles suddenly got a burst of protectiveness from the older woman. She peeked around a corner before turning her head to look at the younger woman.

"What's going to happen if they catch us?" the brunette one asked, and the older one pursed her lips.

"I don't know," she replied, averting her eyes. Her voice echoed in his mind, _Please, someone help us. _He took a peek at her memories, and was horrified at what he saw.

Children and women, all mutants, lying on silver tables with wires attached to their arms. Scientists wearing metal helmets were hovering over them, taking blood or slicing them open. From what he collected of her memories, the four of them were the only survivors. The others at the lab were all dead.

Charles ripped off Cerebro just as the coordinates finished typing. "Get the others and prepare the jet," he said, ripping the paper off of the typewriter.

"What's going on Charles?" Hank asked, hurrying along behind the telepath.

"There are four mutants, women, and they are in grave danger. Now get the others and prepare the jet, Hank, I won't tell you again." He nodded and ran off towards the mansion, Charles not far behind. The pair stopped in front of the lounge, where Alex and Sean looked up from the television.

"We have to go," Hank said, holding up the paper with the coordinates.

"You found another mutant?" Alex asked, standing up and following them, Sean not far behind.

"Four," Hank explained as Charles walked briskly towards where the jet was kept. "Women, and from what Charles said they're in danger." The three men shared a glance before breaking into a jog, hurrying towards the jet after Charles.

"Let's go save some mutants," Alex said with a grin, climbing into the jet after him.

**xxxxOxxxx**

"Come on!" Rosabelle whispered, and grabbed Elisabeth's hand, who grabbed Lucy's, who grabbed Marianne's, and the four hurried out of the alleyway and down the crowded sidewalk. They tried their best to look casual, but it was hard with filthy clothes and unwashed hair and bloody faces. Marianne's red hair clung to her face where the blood had covered it, and Lucy's short, light brown hair was standing up on all ends. Rosabelle had only been able to find two pieces of string, and had used those to tie back Elisabeth's hair and her own back into ponytails.

"There they are!" The deep voice caused them to panic, and they began to sprint down the sidewalk, shoving past people as they ran.

They turned several corners before Rosabelle called out, "Over here!" and hopped behind a wall of barrels. The others followed, pressing against them as if they could melt and become part of the wood. Rosabelle rose and peeked over the top, watching the scientists run by. She breathed out a sigh of relief, making Elisabeth relax as well. Then a hand clamped down on her shoulder and she gasped, whipping around and throwing up her hands, pulsing them once. The man went flying backwards, but he wasn't wearing a metal hat like the others. Three more men appeared down the road, and none of them were wearing metal hats either. Elisabeth's dark eyes widened and she sprinted towards the man, sliding onto her knees beside him.

"I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized, and watched as his eyelids fluttered open. She smiled sheepishly. "Are you okay?" He blinked a couple times and coughed.

"That was awesome," he muttered and she laughed. Rosabelle and the others weren't far behind her, and one man, he appeared to be the leader, looked at Rosabelle with recognition.

"Hello there, I'm Charles Xavier," he said and Rosabelle pulled Elisabeth back, gathering the girls around her and wrapping her arms around them. "I'm here to help."

"That's what _they_ said," Lucy muttered, and Charles smiled warmly at her. _Yes, but this time I actually mean it._ Lucy's green eyes widened and she looked over at Rosabelle.

"Rose, he can do what Marianne can do! He can speak inside my head!" Marianne's light blue eyes widened and she looked at Charles with shock. Rosabelle looked at Charles.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her blue eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"My teammates and I heard that you were in need of assistance, and offer you refuge at my mansion." Rosabelle scowled.

"We don't want any help from rich men. Rich men," she said the two words like they were vermin, "are the reason my girls and I are even in this predicament."

"Your girls?" Sean interjected, and all eyes went to him. "You mean they're your daughters?"

"Sisters, figuratively anyway." Marianne tugged on Rosabelle's shirt and nodded once when the woman looked at her. Rosabelle pursed her lips before looking at Charles.

"We can stay in your mansion…for free?"

"Of course, I'll provide you with room and board, all for free." Rosabelle looked at the girls, who were staring at her with hopeful eyes. Finally, a smile appeared on her lips and she looked up at Charles.

"Okay, but only because Marianne has the best judgment I've ever seen, and I know that she trusts you." Charles smiled as Hank asked Alex if he was alright. He nodded and looked over at Elisabeth, grinning. She blushed and smiled a little, looking down at her bare feet. "Let's go."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Charles smiled at the amazement in the women's eyes as they stared at the mansion. Even Rosabelle seemed to be impressed, although she didn't show it. "It's been in my family for centuries, and it was starting to become lonely anyway." Elisabeth, the one that had accidentally attacked Alex, grinned widely, running into it and spinning around.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, laughing. Lucy, the frizzy-haired one, was leaning against the wall with a small smile on her face. Marianne, the smallest of them all, was admiring a vase with a smile on her face.

"Come, I'll take you to your rooms and then to the infirmary so that Hank can check your health." Charles led them down the hall, and couldn't help but notice how Alex sort of tilted his body a little to watch Elisabeth turn the corner. He led the girls to their rooms and showed them where the clothes were, with each drawer a different size of clothing, and how to operate the shower. Upon showing Rosabelle to her room last, he lingered for a moment, and she looked at him expectantly.

"You really don't like me all that much, do you?" The corner of her mouth quirked a little.

"I've learned from experience that not all rich men are as hospitable as you." She snapped her fingers, and the drawers opened all at once. "Now, I would like to bathe, seeing as I haven't in quite some time. May I please be left alone?" Charles smiled and nodded, walking out of the room. There was another snap, and the door shut behind him. _So, a telekinetic? How interesting…_

**xxxxOxxxx**

Sean lounged on one of the hospital beds as Hank checked out Alex's chest for any internal damage, rubbing his throat a little. His vocal chords had been feeling strange lately, and he was slightly afraid that he might lose his voice, and therefore his power. "I'm shocked, Alex. With a blast like that, your ribs should have been broken. But they aren't, in fact you're perfectly fine."

"Awesome," he said, pulling down his shirt. There was a knock, and two of the four women peeked into the room. Only the red-head and the brunette that had attacked Alex, not the frizzy-haired one, which disappointed him a little. The red-head looked a lot better than she had before, as did the brunette. Instead of being greasy and clinging to their skin, their hair shined and flowed around their shoulders, and their skin look less grimy and more healthy. Sean noticed how Alex and Hank couldn't seem to stop staring. They both had nice bodies, but Sean didn't find himself interested.

Sometimes he wondered if he was gay.

"Ah, there you are," Hank said, his blue lips stretching into a smile and showing off his fangs. The red-head backed up a little, but the brunette touched her arm lightly and gave her a warm smile, pushing her forward a little. "Your name is…Marianne, right?" She nodded a little, stepping forward hesitantly. She was dressed in a white summer dress that swished with every step, while the brunette was dressed more boyish, in pants and a button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. "It's alright, I won't hurt you," Hank said politely. Marianne walked a little faster, hoisting herself onto the hospital bed.

"Alright, let's get started. Say ah." He opened his mouth to demonstrate, and Sean saw her blue eyes widen with curiosity at the sight of his fangs. She reached up and gently poked her finger with one while opening her mouth. Hank pushed her hand down, but it continued rising to poke and prod his fangs. "Marianne, we're never going to get anything done if you keep touching my teeth," he said, his voice a little muffled from trying not to bite her. The red-head blushed and lowered her hand, keeping her mouth open. "Thank you." He checked out her throat. "What's your power?" he asked, his yellow eyes traveling up to look at her.

"It's manipulation," the brunette said from her spot in one of those rolling chairs. "She talks inside of a person's mind and can make them do whatever she wants them to." Marianne nodded, shooting the brunette a look.

"Can she talk outside of people's minds, with her vocal chords?" Sean asked, and the brunette opened her mouth to answer when a voice interrupted.

"Nobody knows." He looked over at the door and the frizzy-haired woman, Lucy, Sean was sure her name was, stepped out from the shadows. Only, her light hair wasn't frizzy. It was short, above her shoulders, and curled in such a way that some of her hair covered part of her forehead. She was dressed in a green summer dress as well, only it had very thin straps and went to her knees, while Marianne's had sleeves and went just a little past her knees. The short haired woman was very pretty, and Sean suddenly stopped wondering if he was gay. "She hasn't talked since we met her. I'm sure she can talk though." She walked right over to the bed Sean was laying on and hoisted herself up onto it, crossing her ankles and swinging them.

"How can you be so sure?" Alex asked, and the brunette girl smiled.

"I happen to be very skilled when it comes to vocals."

"What can you do?" Sean asked, and Lucy's green eyes looked over at him.

"I'm what some people refer to as a siren. I can make people pass out and even kill them with my singing." Sean smirked a little.

"I like a woman with a voice." Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, don't expect to hear it anytime soon." Alex snorted and Marianne's shoulders shook as she silently laughed.

"I think Sean just got rejected," Alex muttered, earning a glare from Sean. "So, Elisabeth, right?" The brunette in the chair nodded. "What about you? How were you able to make me fly?"

"Um, I'm actually not sure. I just pulse my hands and things go flying." Elisabeth smiled. "Everyone back at the…" she trailed, her smiled fading. "Well, all of the others called me Pulse," she quickly said, but it was too late. The other girls' bouncy attitudes had disappeared, and their eyes dropped to the floor. The three men all shared a glance. What could these girls have possibly been through that was so horrible?

**So yeah, that's my story so far. I quite like it, if I do say so myself. I like reviews, they make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sean is Banshee, just to let the people know that didn't know who he was.**

**Time it took to write this: One hour (not including bathroom breaks and revision)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to let y'all know, I put some pictures on my profile if you want references as to what the girls look like. I am so grateful for all the reviews and subscription alerts I got in my mail! I definitely wasn't expecting for this story to take off like that, so thank you!**

Marianne turned another page in the book, her eyes traveling over the words as she absorbed them, the sky blue orbs widening in surprise as the plot thickened. The cushion sank as someone sat down next to her, and after finishing that paragraph she turned her head and smiled at Hank, who had just finished examining the other girls.

"I've got good news and bad news, which do you want first?" Marianne set her book down and looked at him, pointing her thumb upwards. "The good news is that you're all healthy. Except for a few cuts or bruises, you four are healthy as a horse." Her eyebrows raised and she pointed her thumb downwards. "The bad news is that I don't think Charles will be letting you leave any time soon." He smiled slyly and Marianne grinned at the joke, shoving him a little and rubbing her fingers together in a "shame on you" sort of way.

He laughed and craned his neck to look at her book. "_Treasure Island_?" She blushed a little and nodded. "It's a good read, I'm glad you picked it." She smiled again and bit her lip, grabbing the book and holding it out to him. She pointed at him, then at herself, then at the book. "What? You want me to read to you?" She smiled a little and nodded, blushing again. "Well alright, I suppose I'll read to you." She grinned as he took the book from her hand, and he had to suppress a jump when she suddenly curled up right next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Hank was shocked. Nobody had ever been this close to him; nobody had ever been brave enough. And yet here was Marianne, her head on his shoulder and her breath rustling the hair on the exposed parts of his chest. Suddenly feeling very confident, Hank reached over and lightly placed his arm around her shoulders. He felt as if he was dealing with eggshells, that one wrong move or one too-hard squeeze could shatter her completely.

Maybe it could.

Hank cleared his throat and she pointed to the paragraph she was about to begin on, resting that hand on his stomach. A small smile appeared on his lips and he began to read. "'Then followed a battle of looks between them; but the captain soon knuckled under, put up his weapon, and resumed his seat, grumbling like a beaten dog'," she giggled at this, and when Hank looked back down he saw that her eyes had slipped closed, the smile still on her lips. The smile on his own lips grew wider as he looked back up at the book and continued to read, oblivious to the two mutants that entered the lounge next.

Alex pulled Elisabeth into the lounge, where Hank was reading quietly to Marianne, who was fearlessly curled up against him. "What are we doing?" Elisabeth asked curiously, sort of liking the feel of his hand grasping hers.

"I want to show you something." She smiled and allowed her to pull him to the pinball game, where he held out his hands and said, "Ta-da!" She laughed and pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, looking at it strangely.

"What is this?" she questioned, running her hands over the glass top.

"You've never played pinball?" Alex asked incredulously. "You've been missing out, Elle." She bit back a smile at the nickname he had adopted for her and walked over to it, playing with the little lever on the front.

"Then teach me," she said with a sly smile and Alex's cheeks grew red as he shrugged and started the machine, walking behind her.

"It's really pretty simple," he said, putting his hands over her own. "You just pull back this lever, which starts it. When you let go, the little ball shoots up and you use the buttons on the side to keep it in play. You lose when the ball falls past those two levers." Alex guided her hands up, leaning over to do so, and placed her fingers on the buttons, pressing down to make her push them. Being so close to her, he accidentally breathed in the scent of her hair. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it smelled like vanilla.

"I like this game," she said, turning her head to look at him. The space between their faces was small, and it made Elisabeth blush and smile. "Thanks for showing it to me." The corners of Alex's mouth quirked.

"Anytime." Her smiled grew wider, and the two were unaware of the pair in the kitchen, watching them.

"They'll be together by the end of the week," Sean concluded, taking a sip of his water.

"I agree," Lucy replied, holding up her hand. Sean grinned and slapped his against hers before they continued watching the pair play the pinball game. "I had always thought that it was a one player game."

"It is," he said with an eye roll, "Alex is just acting like a love-sick moron." Lucy chuckled and stirred her spoon around in her empty mug, which had once been filled with tea.

"I'm sure you've acted the same way at some point in your life, Sean." He snorted a little.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Short-Hair." Lucy frowned and subconsciously raised a hand to her hair, running her fingers through it. "It was a joke Lucy."

"I know, it's just that everyone always comments on it. Mostly bad things." Sean reached over and grasped a light brown curl between his thumb and index finger, shrugging.

"I like it, it suits you. It's different, you don't really see it everywhere you look. Sort of pretty. A lot like you." Lucy blushed and grinned.

"Hey Sean, guess what?"

"What?" She leaned forward, her light green eyes boring into his blue ones.

"You're acting like a love-sick moron," she whispered, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. "I'll be working out if you need me." She stood from her seat and ruffled his hair, walking out of the kitchen. Sean sighed dreamily and touched the spot on his nose she had tapped.

"She so wants me," he mumbled.

Lucy walked down the hallway past the garden, where Rosabelle was lounging with the paper and a cup of tea, her dark hair pulled over one shoulder. The door opened and Charles stepped out into the sunlight.

"Hello Charles," she greeted, not even looking up at him. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"It is indeed. Do you mind if I join you?" She made a sound in the back of her throat and waved her hand at the seat next to her, which Charles sat down in. He stared out at the land in front of them, admiring how the grass looked especially green today.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked and he nodded. She waved her hand and the teapot lifted on its own, pouring Charles a cup of tea. "Cream or sugar?"

"No I'm alright, thank you." She nodded and fanned herself with the paper, crossing one leg over the other. He glanced over at her and cleared his throat. "How long have you and the girls known each other?"

"About four or five years."

He smiled a little. "I think Alex has taken a liking to Elisabeth." Rosabelle laughed a little, nodding.

"I believe the feeling is mutual. You should hope that he doesn't hurt her, or he'll have to deal with Marianne, Lucy, and I." He smiled before going serious, turning in his seat to face her.

"May I ask something?" Rosabelle tilted her head to the side.

"What would you like to know?"

"What happened to the four of you?" Her already pale skin went paler and she stood, blinking a little.

"I refuse to talk about that to anyone, let alone a stranger that I've only known for a day." She opened the door and walked into the house. Charles sighed and stood, running after her.

Rosabelle walked briskly past the door of the lounge, Charles not far behind and saying, "Rosabelle wait! Stop!" Elisabeth looked over her shoulder and raised a brow, smirking a little and looking back over at Alex, who was shaking his head.

"Yeah…he'll do that." Elisabeth giggled a little, looking back over to Alex.

"I really am sorry about what happened this morning. I didn't mean to attack you." Alex chuckled.

"It's okay, it didn't even really hurt that much. Besides, you're too cute to stay mad at." Elisabeth rolled her eyes and shoved him as Sean walked into the lounge, peeking over the back of the couch.

"Oi, you two! C'mere!" They hurried over to where he was and peeked over the back of the couch, Elisabeth grinning at the sight. Hank was lying on the couch with his back against the cushions, snoring lightly. Curled up against him was Marianne, her chest rising and falling slowly as she slept. Hank had his arm around her waist and the trio staring at them had a feeling he wasn't about to let go anytime soon.

"How adorable!" Elisabeth said, giggling a little.

"Marianne is one brave woman," Alex muttered, and Sean nodded in agreement.

"…I'm bored now, so I'll be off pestering Lucy."

"She'll bite you," Elisabeth called, but Sean simply waved his hand dismissively, continuing down the hall towards the work-out room. He poked his head in and found her working on the weights, the metal clanking together when she moved them. She was dressed in only a sports bra and sports pants, and Sean fought to keep his breathing even. He knocked twice and she turned her head, smiling a little as she set down the weights. She grabbed the nearby towel and draped it around her neck, sitting up.

"Hey Sean," she greeted. He walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hank and Marianne," was all he said, and her green eyes widened. "Yeah, I know."

"That…is actually kind of cute. The Beauty and the Beast, if you will." He smiled and nodded.

"Elisabeth said you would bite me if I bothered you." Lucy sighed dramatically and shook her head.

"That was one time! One time!" He laughed and patted her shoulder.

"I'm planning on making dinner soon, you wanna help?"

"No." He frowned a little.

"Alright then, I suppose I'll have to drag you." Before Lucy could respond, Sean had stood and thrown the smaller of the two over his shoulder, her shrieks and laughter echoing down the hall.

"Sean! Sean put me down!" He carried her past Rosabelle's room, where Charles had his forehead pressed against the door.

"Rosabelle, please open the door," he mumbled for about the fifth time, placing his hand on the wood of the door. "I'm sorry I asked about that. I didn't know you would react like you did." After a few moments of silence he sighed. "I don't want to use my telepathy against you, but I will."

"You stay out of my head!" Rosabelle shouted, but nonetheless the bed creaked and there were footsteps. Charles back up from the door as it opened, revealing a bleary-eyed Rosabelle standing in the doorway.

"Oh, my dear," he whispered, and slowly pulled her into a hug. Contrary to what he had thought, she didn't resist. She merely buried her face in his chest with her arms pressed between the two of them. "I'm so, so sorry." He gripped her arms and held her at arm's length. "I'm so sorry." She smiled and wiped at her eyes.

"It's alright, you really had no idea what to expect from me when asking that. I shouldn't have overreacted."

"No, no, you had every right to act like that. I know how men can be when presented with something as extraordinary as you four." She smiled, her cheeks growing red. "Come along, Sean is cooking dinner with the assistance of Lucy, and we best not be late." He placed his hand on her back and closed the door, leading her towards the kitchen.

"I still don't trust you," she told him, now serious. He smiled a little.

"I can live with that for now."

**I'm not too sure about this one, it's sort of slow and rambling. But I didn't want to start over, because there were parts in this chapter that I wanted to keep, but I couldn't do that without keeping the whole chapter in there….so yeah. Another big thanks to everyone who reviewed and subscribed, I really appreciate it!**


	3. Chapter 3

About three days later, Elisabeth sat curled up on her window seat in the room that Charles assigned her, looking out the window and listening to the radio. The radio was a godsend, her foot tapping against the wall in sync to the music. The window had a magnificent view of the mountains, and Elisabeth felt like going out for a walk. But Charles had given her specific instructions not to go out into the open, only in the garden under the shade. Elisabeth hated that rule, of course, but Alex had told her that it was not wise to go against a direct order from Charles. _Stupid telepath_, she thought miserably, frowning.

_I heard that_, his voice said irritably in her mind, and she scowled.

_Get the hell outta my head, Charles!_ She sighed and rested her head against the wall, closing her dark eyes. The door opened with a creak and she sighed. "Charles, if that's you I swear-"

"Last time I checked, I'm not Charles." She grinned at the voice and turned to see Alex poking his head into her room, smiling that cute little smile of his. Ah, Alex. The two of them had become very close over the past couple of days, and Elisabeth would be damned if she said that she wasn't falling for him. "Mind if I come in?" She shook her head and he entered her room, closing the door behind him. He strode across the room and sat down at her feet. She gave him a small smile before looking back out of the window as the song on the radio changed. Alex noticed the longing in her brown eyes as she looked out the window and grimaced. "I would take you for a walk if I could but…"

"Yeah, I know," she murmured, looking down at her hands. "I wish that I didn't have to hide, though. I miss the sunshine." He reached over and took her hand, rubbing circles onto the back.

"Don't worry. Charles will take care of it, and when he does I'll be the first person to take you out into the sunshine again." She grinned and squeezed his hand a little. Alex's ears perked up as he recognized the song and he smiled slyly, pulling Elisabeth to her feet.

"What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dance with me," he said, taking her other hand and holding her almost at arm's length, but not quite. He pulled one arm back, pulling her arm forward, then repeated the process with the other arm. He went a little faster and saw her grin, matching his moves perfectly with her body. Alex released one hand and twirled her so that the skirt she was wearing spread out around her like a ballerina skirt. A child-like laugh escaped the brunette before he pulled her close to him, placing his hands on her waist as her arms reached up and locked behind his neck. She felt rather short compared to Alex, who was incredibly tall. Her eyes went up only to his chest, so she just rested the side of her head on his chest and swayed, even though it wasn't really a swaying song. Her warm breath seeped through his shirt and tickled her chest, and Alex couldn't stop the smile on his face.

"Thank you for this," she said quietly, blushing a little as she pulled back to look at him. "You seem to always know how to make me feel better."

"It's a gift," he responded and she giggled, rolling her eyes. They had stopped swaying, and Elisabeth removed her arms from around his neck. She started to back up, but Alex grabbed her hands and she looked up at him. There was something in his pretty eyes that she couldn't place, even as he began pulling her towards him.

"Alex," she said softly, "what are you doing?" He just smiled and pulled her closer, to the point where she was pressed against him. Before she could repeat the question, he leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers, releasing her hands so that he could cup her face. The kiss was tender and light, not at all what Elisabeth expected from Alex. He pulled back when she didn't respond, nervous that he'd gone too far too fast.

"Elle?" he asked, and a wide grin spread across her face.

"Shut up," she muttered, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down to her level, crashing her lips against his. This kiss was not tender or light at all, it was rough and passionate and she found herself pushed against the wall, one of Alex's hands braced against the wall and the other cupping the back of her neck. She threaded her fingers through his hair as his tongue explored her mouth. This was the Alex that Elisabeth knew. He reached up and threaded his own fingers through her brown hair as she lifted up onto her tiptoes, throwing her arms around his neck to keep steady. They pulled back, both breathing heavy, and Elisabeth smiled again.

"Wow," he whispered and she nodded.

"Wow."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy glanced around with her eyes as she stood out on the porch, checking that the coast was clear before kicking off her shoes and running into the grass, digging her toes into the cool blades. She smiled contentedly, relishing the feel of the earth between her toes. Her eyes slipped closed and she tilted her face towards the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.

"You're not supposed to be out here." She jumped at the voice directly behind her and whipped around, smiling when she saw it was only Sean.

"Are you going to tell on me?" she asked mockingly, backing up slowly.

"Oh please, I'm not a four-year old," she breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm going to drag you back to Charles' office and _then_ tell on you." A sly smiled crossed her face.

"You'll have to catch me first!" she shouted, shoving him backwards onto his butt before turning on her heel and taking off towards the woods. She heard his footsteps behind her and ran faster, dodging trees and laughing hysterically.

"You're dead Lucy!" Sean shouted behind her and she threw her head back, laughing again. She turned a few times before ducking behind a tree near the edge of the forest where the grass began again, grabbing the lowest branch and hoisting herself up into the tree, perching on it like a squirrel.

She waited until he was directly below her before dropping off the branch, shouting, "GOTCHA!" and locking her legs around his waist. He laughed and ran out of the woods and onto the grass, spinning around violently and making Lucy squeal. Sean spun until he grew dizzy and toppled onto the grass, Lucy on her back next to him laughing up a storm.

"C'mon, let's go to Charles," he said, reaching for her hand. She laughed and rolled away from him, poking out her tongue in his direction. "Hey, you stick your tongue out at me again and I'm gonna cut it off." She grinned and poked her tongue out again, scrambling to her feet as they once again chased each other. He was slightly faster this time and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling them both to the ground.

"You'll never take me alive!" she shouted, laughing as they rolled around on the grass. Rosabelle smiled, watching them from her spot by the door.

"They shouldn't be outside," Charles said, suddenly next to her and reaching for the doorknob. Rosabelle reached out and gripped his wrist.

"Let them have their fun, Charles," she said softly, blowing into her tea and turning around, wandering into the kitchen. He looked from the pair on the grass to the woman in the kitchen, sitting at the counter, before huffing and striding into the kitchen.

"You're the one that suggested they stay inside in the first place!" he exclaimed, placing his hands on the counter.

"That was before I realized that the girls are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. They've also got the other men around, and I'm almost positive that they will protect them," she said calmly, meanwhile Charles was becoming frustrated with her calm attitude.

"How in the world can you be so laid back about this?" he asked as she finished off her tea and stood to put it in the sink. "There are evil men after all of you and you don't seem to be the least bit worried!" She whipped around, her blues eyes blazing.

"Of course I'm worried, Charles!" she yelled. "I'm just good at hiding my emotions, something you need to be able to do when you've been locked up for _seven bloody years_!"

"You are so frustrating sometimes!" he shouted.

"Funny, I could say the same ABOUT YOU!" she yelled back, stalking out of the kitchen and slamming the door behind her. She drew a shaky breath and leaned back against it, wiping her eyes as they grew wet with tears. Charles sighed and leaned against the refrigerator, letting his head fall into his hands. He wanted her to trust him so badly, but they just kept growing farther apart. He sensed her thoughts outside of the kitchen door, and nodded a little in agreement with them.

_I want you to trust me as well._

"STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!" she practically screamed at the door, and he could hear her footsteps quickly run off. He winced as a door slammed, and collapsed into one of the chairs. _I'm normally so good at this, so why do I keep messing everything up?_ He ran a hand through his hair, placing his head back in his hands.

The pair never realized that Lucy and Sean had come in from outside, and heard the whole argument, giving each other sad looks before walking towards the workout room together, Sean draping a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. Elisabeth and Alex, sitting in her window seat, heard the fight as well from her bedroom and she rested her head on his shoulder, Alex gently kissing the top of her head. Hank, who had been reading again to Marianne in the lounge, stopped when the yelling started and afterwards looked over to the red-head, whose eyes were shining with tears. He held out his arms and she leaned into his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Is this our fault?" Lucy asked Sean quietly as they sat on the weight lifting bench. All Sean did was look at her, then pull her into a hug.

After a moment Marianne pulled back from Hank and stood, walking calmly towards the kitchen. She gingerly opened the door and looked at Charles, who had his head in his hands. Marianne walked over to him and dropped to her knees so that they could see eye-to-eye. She placed a finger under his chin and lifted his face up so he could see that she looked as miserable as him. Then she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, surprising Charles that such a small girl could have so much strength.

_It's going to be okay._ "I hope so," he whispered and a small breath left her, her version of a sigh. _Finally, someone that can hear me._ He chuckled and she pulled back, cupping his cheek. _You have to understand, Charles, Rose has been through so much more than the rest of us. She's much more sensitive. I had better get back before Hank gets worried._ She kissed his forehead and stood, walking back into the lounge and cozying up next to Hank again.

"Is he okay?" Hank asked and she nodded, raising a thumb.

"What happened?" Elisabeth asked, walking into the lounge with Alex in tow. They sat down on the floor, Alex wrapping a protective arm around the brunette next to him.

"It's our faults," two voices said in unison, and Lucy and Sean joined the group, Sean sitting in the loveseat with Lucy sitting at his feet, leaning against his legs. "We went outside for a few minutes, and Rose was just trying to defend us," Sean explained, and Lucy looked at her hands.

"Do you think we'll have to leave?" Elisabeth asked, and Marianne sat up a little straighter, her eyebrows creasing with worry.

"I hope not," Alex said, lacing his fingers with Elisabeth's. "I was just starting to like having you guys here." Elisabeth threw him a look while Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"I don't want you to leave," Hank said quietly, glancing over at Marianne. She noticed and smiled, leaning over to kiss his cheek. Although nobody could see it under his blue skin, Hank blushed fiercely. Elisabeth smiled a little and Sean shared a knowing look with Lucy.

"So…what are we going to do about it?" Sean asked, leaning over to place his chin on top of Lucy's head. That question seemed to stump the others. How were they going to fix this?

"We're not going to do anything," Elisabeth said firmly. "It's their problem, they need to deal with it." Marianne frowned and coughed a little, rubbing her throat.

"Are you okay?" Hank asked quietly and she nodded violently, rubbing at her throat for a few moments before laying her hand on her lap.

"Elisabeth is right, as always. We need to let Charles and Rose deal with this on their own. We can't be interfering," Lucy agreed, and Marianne blew a red curl out of her face, nodding in agreement.

"So now what?" Alex asked.

"Now," Hank said, "we wait."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Charles sat on his bed, writing, when a knock caught his attention. "Come in," he said, and the door slowly opened as he looked back to his paper. He heard it close and the bed sank at his feet. His eyes flickered up and he was a bit surprised to see the long dark hair facing him, a pale hand reaching up to brush it behind her ear.

_Forgive me…_

Charles smiled a little, setting down his writing and standing. He walked over to where the figure was sitting and sat down beside her.

_Please. Please forgive me…_

"Of course I forgive you," he murmured. "I was never really angry with you in the first place. I shouldn't have exploded like that." Suddenly, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He was startled at first, but then wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tight. "I will always forgive you, Rose."

"No you won't," she whispered. "And I understand that. Just forgive me for this. Just this." He tried to argue that he will always forgive her, but she was right. Something might happen, and he might not forgive her for it.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll forgive you for this." She drew in a shuddering breath, nodding against his chest.

_Thank you…_

**For some reason I got all dry-throated while writing the end. I'm very content with this chapter, but if you don't like it then tell me NICELY. Flames are not accepted, and will be used to burn my Barbie dolls. Oh and REVIEW! Thank you and have a wonderful night.**


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy sat on her bed in only the light of a single candle, (the lamps were too bright) her hand moving furiously across the paper on which she was writing, believe it or not, a song. Yes, Lucy wrote songs. It was something she had been doing since she was young. Not words with songs, so it wasn't really a _song_, per say. More like a composition. She placed her pencil in her mouth and picked up the guitar that Charles had dug up for her, trying as quietly as she could to strum the notes she had written. A scowl crossed her face and she shook her head, erasing that whole measure.

_What am I missing?_ She scratched her head.

_Go to sleep Lucy,_ a drowsy voice said in her mind and she winced.

S_orry Charles._ She set down her guitar and pencil, falling backwards onto her bed. Her insomnia seemed even worse tonight, and she knew that the next day would be filled with her struggling to stay awake. The others didn't know about it, of course, she didn't want to be a burden on them. A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts and she stood, walking over to the door and opening it slowly. "Hi," she greeted the person standing there. "What are you still doing up?"

"I was thinking," Sean replied, leaning against the doorway.

"Funny, I didn't know you could do that," she said coolly, although she was gripping the doorknob (the one not facing Sean) so tightly her knuckles were white. He rolled his eyes and peeked behind her.

"Can I come in? Or did I come all this way for nothing?" A small smile appeared on her face and she stepped to the side, making a sweeping gesture with her hand. He smiled and ambled inside in his flannel pajamas. "Only one candle?" he questioned, turning to face her.

"The lamps hurt my eyes when it's dark," she explained, pulling another candle on the dresser this time. "I'll light another one." She took out the matches and carefully lit the candle, waving the match to put it out before tossing it in a glass of water. "Just a precaution," she said upon seeing the look Sean gave her. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was lying in bed, thinking, when I had the sudden urge to come and see you. I don't know why." He sat down on her bed and pulled the sheet music into his lap, glancing at the guitar for a second. "You write songs?"

"They aren't really songs, more like compositions."

"How come they're only compositions?"

She pointed at her throat. "I can't sing, remember? Not even by myself. If even the slightest trace of my voice reaches someone's ears, they'll be dead like that." She snapped her fingers and frowned, stroking the neck of the guitar. "I miss it though…singing until my throat hurt. My mother used to be convinced that someday I'd be a world-famous singer."

"When did your mutation show up?" She crinkled her nose in thought, which Sean found rather cute. It reminded him of a rabbit.

"When I was about sixteen, my boyfriend wanted me to sing for him…" She trailed, wiping away a glistening tear. "His parents invited me to the funeral, but I didn't go. I couldn't." Sean pulled her across the bed and into a hug, which she gratefully returned.

"It'll be okay, Lucy."

"I know, but still. It gets to me sometimes." He pulled back and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you." He gently tapped his fist against her jaw, and she smiled. "There's that smile!" She laughed and pushed him a little, setting everything on the floor next to the bed before lying down. Sean followed and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Her body seemed to mold against his perfectly, her own arm resting over the one around her waist, intertwining their fingers.

"Goodnight Sean."

"Goodnight Lucy."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy wandered into the kitchen the next morning, yawning. Elisabeth and Alex were sitting at the table, playing a game with a piece of paper and a pencil that would occasionally make her hit him. Rose was leaning against the counter, yawning at every moment while staring at the tea pot in expectation. Charles was sitting at the other counter, the island, with his nose buried in the paper, occasionally taking a bite of his cereal. Marianne had her elbows placed on the island across from Charles, slowly stirring her spoon around in her mug of what appeared to be hot chocolate and looking very bored. Hank and Sean were nowhere to be found.

"It's not like we could've gone outside anyway," Rose said after a few moments of silence, aside from the occasional slapping noise coming from the table. "I'm honestly not surprised."

"Surprised about what?" she asked.

"Didn't ya hear?" Elisabeth said, throwing open the curtains. "We're having a lazy day." Lucy's eyes widened and she ran to the window, pressing her hand against the cold glass. The entire garden was covered in a thick blanket of sparkling white snow.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, putting a hand over her mouth. "But…it was so nice yesterday." She turned around to look at the others.

"The weather is quite unpredictable, my dear," Charles said, not looking up from his paper. "I'm just surprised that it hadn't snowed sooner." She crinkled her nose again and shrugged, walking over to Marianne.

"Where's Hank?" she asked and Marianne shrugged weakly, clearing her throat and rubbing her neck again. "Are you okay?" The red-head nodded, waving a dismissive hand. She plucked the pencil out of Charles' hand and scribbled something on the paper in front of her.

_Just a cough, don't worry about it._ Charles' eyes flickered up from the paper to meet with Marianne's, but she quickly looked away and placed the pencil back in his outstretched hand.

"Are you sure?" Marianne's shoulders rose and fell in rapid succession, her version of a laugh, and she nodded with a smile, kissing her cheek lightly as reassurance. "Alright, fine. But if something is wrong, you know you can tell me."

"I'm reading her mind right now, Lucy," Charles cut in with a smile. "I can assure you she's fine." Lucy sighed and nodded, giving the red-head a quick hug.

"I need to catch up on my reading. I'm so far behind it isn't even funny. David is going to be so angry with me." She grabbed a bagel and hurried into the lounge, the door swinging shut behind her. Marianne gave him a grateful look and mouthed a thank you.

"Who's David?" Alex asked.

"Her pen pal in America, we smuggled the letters in and out back at the place." They mentioned that place much more casually now, but still wouldn't talk about what had happened. "But we all know they fancy each other, even if they won't admit it. They like to read the same books and then talk about them in their letters. It's kind of cheesy if you ask me." Elisabeth poked her tongue out and Alex laughed, writing something down on that paper. "Hey! You jerk!" She swiped the pencil from his hands and started writing something else down. Marianne, tired of being lonely, stood up and walked out of the kitchen, still rubbing her neck. Charles watched her leave and waited for a moment.

"I'll be right back, nature calls." Elisabeth made a face while Rose giggled and Alex rolled his eyes. Charles walked out and down the hallway, noticing a figure sitting against the wall, knees pulled to chest. The head of red hair gave away who it was and Charles broke into a jog, dropping onto his knees beside her. "Marianne? Marianne what's wrong?" He lifted her head up and saw that her neck was red from where she continued to rub it and tears glistened in her eyes.

_I don't know, Charles. I'm scared._

"I know, darling, I know."

_What's wrong with me?_

"Maybe you should let Hank-"

_No!_ She blushed. _I don't want him to worry. He panics so easily, I would hate for him to freak out and it turn out to be nothing._

"Well…if you'll allow me to look into your mind, I might be able to find the problem." She gave him an apprehensive look. "You can trust me, Marianne. I'll do everything in my power not to hurt you." Finally, she relaxed a little and allowed him to place his hands on her face, fingers spread out. Both their eyes slipped shut and gasps escaped their mouths as they were plunged into Marianne's memories.

"_Hand me the scalpel." The shine of the knife made Charles wince as he watched a man place it into the doctor's hands. He was standing at a distance from the table, but the mass of red curls flowing over the edge told him exactly who it was. She was naked, and a long stitching ran down the middle of her torso, but what caught his attention was the knife that slowly cut open her neck. Blood as crimson as her hair flowed out, but there was an IV that was pumping more into her, and a bucket underneath to catch the spilled liquid. "Watch closely as we discover how this girl's mutation works." The doctors all leaned in closely, and Charles couldn't help but do the same, suddenly next to the doctor as he began to cut open her voice box. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around._

"_What-" The scalpel slipped as the voice box vibrated, and her eyes went wide as she reached up to grasp her neck. A silent scream rippled through her until one of the doctors placed a towel over her mouth. She was unconscious in moments._

"_Patch her up," the doctor said, disgust in his voice. "This experiment is ruined, a lost cause."_

_STOP!_

Both mutants were thrown out of the memory, gasping for air as Marianne tore her face away from Charles' hands, grasping her neck. As tears slipped out of her eyes, he felt moisture well up in his own eyes and slide down his cheeks. Marianne's hands had slid up from her throat and were now cradling her face. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face and pulled her shirt up to her bra line, looking down at her stomach. A long scar ran down her stomach, stopping just where her skirt began.

_I don't even remember this. How could I not remember?_

"Marianne," he murmured, and she looked at him. "The reason your throat has been itching is because your voice box is almost done repairing itself. You should have your voice back very soon." Her eyes went wide, disbelief apparent in the blue orbs, before she startled Charles by throwing her arms around him, her face lighting up with a grin.

_This is amazing! I have to go tell Hank! Thank you Charles, thank you so much!_

"I really didn't do anything," he began, put she put a finger on his lips, giving him a warning look before kissing both of his cheeks and standing, running in the direction of Hank's room. Charles stared after her in amused surprise, rubbing the spot where she had kissed him and unaware that Rosabelle had been watching from the doorway, blinking a few times before walking back into the now empty kitchen.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Hank tapped a blue finger against his book, trying to remember something important, when the door flew opened and he was bathed in red hair and blue eyes. Marianne grabbed the nearest pen and paper, scribbling something down in a hurry before thrusting it into his hands. He gave her an odd look before looking down at the paper.

_Charles said that I should be getting my voice back very soon!_ He looked up in surprise, a wide grin spreading across his face to match hers.

"Marianne that's great!" he exclaimed and she nodded excitedly as he picked her up and hugged her. She shook with laughter, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm so happy for you!" She lifted her legs off the ground and kissed his cheek again, an action she seemed to like doing to everyone. He set her down and held her at arm's length, still smiling. "I'm so, so happy for you!" She smiled again, feeling perfectly content. She was getting her voice back soon.

And Hank was going to be the first person she talked to.

**I just want to thank everyone that reviewed and subscribed, you have no idea how much it means to me! Tomorrow is my last day of school, so I'll probably be working on these a lot more, but in a couple of weeks I'm going to San Diego with my family, so there might not be any updates for a couple of days or even a week, not all the details are clear to me yet. Once again, thank you so much if you reviewed and/or subscribed! It means so, so much to me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I didn't get this up earlier, I was spending the last day of school with my best friend, and didn't have time to type up the remainder of this chapter. Like I always say, your reviews/subscriptions mean the world to me! Seriously, they make me feel so much better about my writing!**

Rosabelle chewed on her lip thoughtfully, sitting with her ankles crossed on the counter. Charles didn't have feelings for Marianne, right? He couldn't possibly…the age gap is much too large. Besides, Marianne seemed quite cozy with Hank. As she pondered this, Charles entered the room and she controlled her thoughts, instead thinking about snowball fights and sledding.

"Charles," she said, and he looked up at her for a quick second.

"Yes, my love?" he asked absently, glancing back down at the paper.

"Do you fancy Marianne?" He sputtered on the sip of tea he was drinking, coughing for a second before looking at her in disbelief.

"Heaven's no! Why…why on Earth would you think that?"

"It's just that…" she trailed, glancing down at her hands. "Never mind, it's ridiculous. I don't even know why I asked." He walked over and stood in front of her, studying her face.

"Rosabelle," he said, "why do you think that I fancy Marianne? Don't make me go digging around in there." He poked her forehead and she rolled her eyes.

"I just…saw her kiss you and I assumed that…" Her cheeks warmed considerably and her eyes went back down to her hands. A chuckle grabbed her attention and she looked up at Charles, who was smiling. He took her face in his hands and rubbed her cheekbones with his thumbs.

"Oh Rose, my dear, I could never fancy Marianne."

"Then why did she kiss you?" Rosabelle blurted, already regretting asking.

"I answered a question that was very important to her. Trust me Rose, I do not fancy Marianne. I already have eyes for someone else." Rosabelle's breath caught in her throat and she crooked an eyebrow.

"Who?" she asked, her voice hoarse. Something flashed in his eyes, she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, and he released her face, backing away with a small smile.

"Well, if you hadn't figured it out by now then I suppose it doesn't matter anyway." Her eyebrows scrunched.

"What are you talking about? I was supposed to have figured it out by now? I'm not a mind reader, Charles; you need to talk to me."

"Sometimes I wish you were a mind reader," he murmured and she looked at him oddly.

"Charles, I don't understand what you're saying." He pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Just forget I even said anything," he replied, walking out of the kitchen. Rosabelle groaned in frustration and ran a hand over her face, shaking her head.

"Men."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy hummed quietly to herself as she strolled down the corridors. Since it was a snow day, she was determined to explore every part of the mansion she could find. The area she was currently in was very isolated, but then again the whole freaking mansion was isolated. There were only eight people staying in it, and they usually kept themselves on the first and second floors.

Not Lucy.

Ever since she was young she's been an explorer. Her mother would constantly lose her in grocery stores or while camping because Lucy was unable to resist the itch to find places that probably no one else has discovered. It was an exhilarating feeling, discovering nooks and crannies and secret doorways seen by her eyes only. And this was a mansion for God sakes! There had to be at least one secret doorway.

"Alright mansion," she whispered under her breath, running her fingers along the wall, "let's see what you're hiding." She peeked into all of the rooms, not finding anything very interesting, until she opened one door and found that it was very dark, even though all of the other rooms' lamps were on.

"What in the world?" she whispered, walking slowly inside. She flicked on a lamp and her eyes widened. Someone had obviously been staying in this room, but it looked as if the occupant hadn't been in there in a very long time. A terry cloth robe was draped over one of the arm chairs, and the vanity still had makeup sitting on it, although she could see a thin white layer of dust covering the polished wood and containers of makeup. Lucy walked farther into the room and ran her hand over the robe. It was still soft, even with the cloud of dust that lifted from it when her hand touched it.

Then, she noticed a container sitting on the table by the chairs, still open. The impressions in the velvet told her it was meant for two needles, but there was only one sitting there, covered in dust like everything else. Inside of the needle was a green liquid, and she got a funny feeling in her stomach. A voice in her mind told her that she should leave it alone and leave the room but a larger, much louder voice told her that an investigation was in order. Slowly, Lucy reached down and gingerly picked up the lone needle, holding it close to her face. She blew off the dust and flicked the part with the green liquid in it.

"What is this?" she asked aloud, studying it carefully. It didn't look harmless, maybe a drug to help sleep or something. But then again, the other needle was gone, as was the occupant of this room, so she decided not to take any chances.

She set it back in the box just as a voice said, "You really shouldn't be in here." She spun around to face Sean leaning against the doorway, a forlorn look on his handsome Irish face.

"Who…who was staying here?" she asked quietly, starting to walk towards him.

"Raven, Charles' little sister. She could shape shift, it was pretty sweet."

"What happened to her?" She was now in front of him and his hand was on her back, slowly leading her out.

"She went with Erik, who went nuts." He twirled his finger next to his head and Lucy nodded slowly. "Hank really liked her, even tried to make a cure for her. That's what's in that needle, from what I understand." She pulled back from Sean as her hand flew up to her throat.

"That's a cure?" she asked, her voice cracking. She turned and started walking back towards Raven's room, but a hand gripped her wrist and she looked back at Sean.

"You know how Hank is all blue and furry?" She nodded. "That's what the so called 'cure' did. It didn't cure him at all. It enhanced his mutation." Her eyes widened as the door to Raven's room swung shut on its own accord, and she winced as it locked. "That was probably Charles. He loves Raven, but doesn't like to talk about her. Never even goes in her room anymore."

"What was she like before she left?" A nostalgic smile appeared on his face.

"She was wonderful," he muttered, turning that smile towards her. "C'mon, let's go explore some other part of the mansion." His hand slid down from her wrist and intertwined their fingers, just like the night before.

"I want to hear more about Raven," she responded, unable to control her curiosity now. He chuckled.

"Okay then, walk with me and I'll tell you all about her. And Erik and Darwin and Angel. You probably would have liked Darwin, he was awesome." She smiled sadly at the tone in his voice, and listened as he began to tell her about all his adventures with the others.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Elisabeth sighed and tapped her pencil against her lips for a moment before her face lit up with inspiration and she scribbled down a few sentences in the leather bound journal she'd had since she learned how to write.

"Hey beautiful," a voice greeted her and she looked up, smiling as Alex entered the lounge and sat down at her feet.

"Hi handsome," she replied absentmindedly.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing, now hush." He chuckled and she wrote a few more sentences before setting the pencil in there as a bookmark, setting it down on the table before looking at him expectantly. "What did you want?"

"Am I not allowed to sit by my girlfriend every once and a while?"

"No." He laughed and grabbed her hand, tugging it until she let him pull her into his lap, her legs stretching across the couch. She smiled at him, brushing a piece of blond hair out of his face. "I'm taking you to a barber when the snow clears," she muttered and he grinned.

"You can't go outside, remember?"

"Then I'll cut it myself. If I don't, soon it'll cover your face and I won't be able to do this." She leaned over and kissed him sweetly, making it last for a few seconds before pulling back.

"Oh no you don't," he murmured. "That's just being mean." She giggled as he placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into another kiss. She adjusted herself so that she was straddling him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He poked his tongue into her mouth, just like all of the other times they kissed, and ran his hands down her curves, his fingers moving under her shirt and gently brushing her skin. She gasped in the kiss, her eyes opening, and he smiled, moving his hands up her torso at an achingly slow pace.

"Stop teasing me," she whispered breathlessly and he chuckled, the tips of his fingers brushing her bra-line-

"Hello children." The two pulled apart and Elisabeth was off of Alex in record time.

"Hi Charles," she muttered, smiling at him. He gave them both a knowing look before smiling and walking out of the lounge.

"That was close," Alex muttered, and she laughed, nodding in agreement.

"Way too close," she replied, but still leaned over to kiss him for a few moments before pulling back sitting against the arm of the couch, her feet resting on Alex's lap. He smiled and crawled up to where she was. He used his hands to keep himself from falling onto Elisabeth, leaning down and returning the kiss with passion. She kissed him back, placing her hands on his chest to keep him from falling as well. He pulled back and started kissing her neck.

"Alex," she tried to whisper, but it came out as more of a moan. "We're on the couch in the lounge." He lifted his head.

"Right…your room or mine?" She laughed and rolled her eyes, pushing him off of her.

"I'm not sleeping with you…not yet anyway." The wink she sent him caused chills to run up and down his spine.

Alex was willing to wait, as long as it was for Elisabeth.

**I don't know about this one, it's kind of rubbish. I suppose I'm just tired from the last day of exams and everything, but I felt like I owed you guys one today for all the amazing reviews. Seriously, it makes me write better. The next one **_**should**_** be better, but I'm still sort of planning it out. So this one, for once, isn't at least 2,000 words (omigawd, it's blasphemy!) but honestly, I just didn't have the energy to write out 2,000 words. But like I said, I felt like I owed y'all a new chapter today.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I've decided to mix this chapter up a bit. This chapter isn't going to be all about the relationships (gasp!)…okay so it kind of is, but in a sort of…oh it's hard to explain! This one is all about the different characters bonding with each other; let's just leave it at that, yes?**

Marianne sighed and flopped down onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow. Ever since Charles told her that she'd be gaining her voice soon that was all she could think about. The wait was killing her; she missed her voice so much. She wanted so badly to be able to speak, talk to people and ask how they were doing instead of having to write it down all the time.

She would finally be able to talk to Hank.

Hank McCoy. Just his name sent flutters through her stomach. She saw how the others looked at him, like they were afraid. But they shouldn't be. Hank was a teddy bear, he wouldn't hurt a fly. She probably knew him better than anyone just from the few days that they'd known each other. He was such a good friend, always reading to her. Sometimes, when they were alone, he would read with different voices that made her giggle. That was probably the best part about being alone with him, was that he would read with the funny voices. She also knew that the others thought their relationship, if it could even be called that, was rather odd. Such a small, fragile girl as Marianne spending all her time with someone like Hank. Yet, Marianne wasn't as fragile as she seemed. Physically, she was, but not emotionally. Only when The Place was brought up.

God, those had been the worst years of her life. Having to sit through all that torture and not being able to stand up for herself with her voice. If she ever saw those scientists again, she would make them rip each other apart, limb by stupid, torturing limb-

_Knock, knock, knock._

She felt her stomach flutter as she stood from the bed and hurried towards the door. Maybe it was Hank, maybe he had come early to read more to her! She opened the door and was shocked, and a little disappointed, to find only Sean standing there, looking uncomfortable. He noticed her confused expression and laughed nervously.

"Hey Marianne, can I talk to you about something?" She quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged anyway and stepped to the side. He walked in and sat down on the bed while she grabbed her journal and pencil. She only used it for when she needed to say something in a conversation. Other than that, it was hardly ever touched. She sat down next to him and scribbled something on the next blank page.

_What's up, Sean?_

"Well…it's about Lucy." Marianne was suddenly alert.

_What's happened? Is she okay? Did you do something?_

He chuckled. "No, nothing has happened, yes she's fine, and no, I would never do anything to hurt her. I just…I want to know what she likes in a guy." Marianne was startled by the question. Sean was asking her about Lucy's taste in guys? Well, stranger things _have_ happened.

_Oh. Well, um…_ She tapped her pencil against her lips in thought. _She likes someone that'll be sweet to her. Although she may act like it, she hates the bad boy types. Um, someone she can laugh with and pull pranks on without getting yelled at or anything. Oh, and he can't be the cheating kind. With her kind of power, I don't even want to think about what happened to the last guy that cheated on her. And she's very sensitive about her hair; she gets a lot of negative comments about it. So make sure that you're nice to her about it._

"Wow, that's really complicated."

_What did you expect? Lucy is a complicated person._

"Yeah, I know. Why do you think I like her so much?"

_I knew it! I always had a feeling that you fancied her!_

"I do not fancy her!"

_Do to._

"Do not! I just…like her…a lot." He looked at the ground and she laughed silently as he blushed. She patted his back a little.

_Don't worry Sean, I have a feeling you're just her type._ He grinned.

"You really think so?" She smiled and nodded. "Thanks a bunch Marianne! I definitely owe you big time!"

_Damn straight._ He smiled and hugged her tight. _Anything else you want to talk to me about?_

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy stared out the window in frustration as the snow continued to sparkle on the ground. _Stupid sun, why won't you just melt it already?_

"You may have to wait a few days." She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Hank walked up to stand beside her.

"Darn it, I really wanted to go into town today," she muttered, chewing on her lip.

"Yeah, well Charles said we should be stuck in here for a few days at the most." Lucy huffed in frustration and plopped down in a chair. Hank chuckled and joined her, watching as she let her head drop onto the table. "It's not that bad, Lucy."

"I get cabin fever easily," she replied almost immediately, her voice a little muffled by the table.

"I find that hard to believe," he responded, his yellow eyes trailing up to look outside. "Hey Lucy?"

"Mmm?"

"Am I scary?" He couldn't see it because her face was covered by wood, but Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Hank. You're terrifying." He rolled his eyes and placed his chin in his hands. Lucy lifted her head a little and looked at him. "Wrong answer?" He lifted one shoulder in a sort of half shrug.

"Depends on whether you think that's bad or not." Lucy crinkled her nose a bit before shrugging.

"I think it's pretty sweet. Getting to be blue and furry. Kind of like some sort of mutated rabbit." She made a face. "Sorry, bad comparison."

"Just a little, yeah."

Finally she sighed dramatically and stood. "I'm so freaking bored! I'll be exploring if you need me." She ruffled his hair. "Later fuzzball." With that, she turned on her heel and walked briskly out of the kitchen, leaving Hank by himself to ponder their conversation. Then he remembered Raven's last words to him.

_Mutant and proud._

He sighed and shook his head, standing and walking out of the kitchen. Neither of them ever noticed the rustle in the bushes.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Rosabelle chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she sat next to the pool, her feet swishing gently in the water, thinking over Charles' words.

"_If you haven't figured it out already, then I suppose it doesn't matter anyway."_

Her brain ached as she tried to think of who it could be. It couldn't be somebody in the mansion, right? The thought of that was just…well…odd. It isn't Marianne, he said so himself. It couldn't be Elisabeth, because she's made it very clear that she's with Alex. Lucy is obviously head over heels for Sean, so that just left one person.

_Me._

Her eyes went wide at the realization, but she shook her head. No, it couldn't be! It probably wasn't even somebody at this mansion. It could be anybody, really. A creaking door interrupted her thoughts and she looked up as Alex entered the room, sitting cross-legged beside her.

"Hello Alex," she greeted uncertainly. "Can I help you with something?"

"It's about Elisabeth," he replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "I need help deciding something."

"Erm…okay."

"I think I'm in love with her." Rosabelle's eyes went wide and she grinned widely.

"That's terrific Alex! You two make a wonderful couple!" He chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I just need to know how to tell her." Seeing her confused expression, Alex decided to clarify. "I don't know how to tell her I love her. I've never exactly done this before." Rosabelle smiled softly.

"You just need to come out with it, tell her exactly how you feel. The worst she can do is reject you, and I highly doubt she'll do that." He smiled.

"Just saying, you would make an awesome mom." She laughed and shrugged.

"I hope so."

**xxxxOxxxx**

Elisabeth stared at the door to Charles' office, biting her lip uncertainly. What if he said no?

"Are you going to stand out there all day or are you going to come in?" his voice asked from behind the door and she blushed, opening it slowly and walking in. "I understand that you want to bring the others outside?" She hesitated, but nodded.

"It's covered in snow outside, Charles! Anyone with half a brain would be crazy to go out there right now!"

"Except for us." She smiled.

"Except for us." He sighed and stood from his desk, setting down his pencil.

"Go get your coats on."

She squealed and leaned over to hug him before running out of the office and shouting, "WE'RE GOING OUTSIDE! GRAB YOUR COATS!" There was a stampede-like sound as everyone ran towards the coat closet. Elisabeth was the first with her coat on and the first outside. The others followed, yelling and shouting with glee. Rosabelle blushed as Charles walked outside, remembering her theory about before. Then, a snowball arced through the air and disintegrated right on top of Charles' head. Laughter filled the air as he made a face at Lucy, who was laughing the hardest and giving everyone high fives. That was what triggered the war. Snowballs were suddenly flying through the air, hitting everyone in sight. The snow was much slushier since it had been sitting in the sun, but Charles had been able to provide everyone with snow boots.

A gunshot then rang out through the yard, and Marianne dropped to the ground just as a dart buzzed over her head, sticking into the tree behind her.

**OMFG CLIFFHANGER! But don't worry; the next chapter will either be up in a couple hours or tomorrow. I realize that the Elisabeth/Charles bonding moment was total sh*t (pardon my French). Don't ask me why I did that, I guess I'm just lazy…or something.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I stopped in like the middle of writing this chapter because my friend sent me this amazing song. It was featured in the Sherlock Holmes trailer. It's called Unstoppable by E.S. Posthumus, and I swear to God I just sat there for the whole song and envisioned what a trailer for this fic would look like. In my mind, it's freaking amazing. Unfortunately, I can't make videos to save my life. Oh well. Anyway, here's the giant climax/fight scene that I've been looking forward to writing since I started this story! You're going to see a side of Marianne in this chapter that you've never seen before, and possibly read about some things that are going to be hard to read for some people. Just a fair warning.**

Chaos ensued.

As soon as the dart stuck to the tree, men in white lab coats and metal hats ran out of the bushes, brandishing dart guns. Elisabeth narrowly missed a dart that whizzed past her face, not even millimeters away from grazing her nose. Everyone jumped into action immediately.

As a scientist ran towards her, Marianne jumped off the ground, flipping over him and pointing herself so that her snow boots collided with the man's back. Lucy brought the side of her hand down on one man's shoulder, not daring to use her power unless it was absolutely necessary. Beast roared and hurled one scientist over his shoulder as Alex blasted another and Sean sonic-screamed yet another. But the men just kept coming. It was like they were never ending.

"Where are they all coming from?" Rosabelle shouted, tossing two men back into the forest with simple waves of her hands.

"I have no idea! They either have a cloning mutant or recruited furiously in the past few days." Charles smiled meekly at his lame joke, and Rosabelle rolled her eyes.

"Charles, look out!" She ran up to him and threw her hands up behind him, stopping a dart just as it brushed against the hair on the back of Charles' head. It disintegrated and she narrowed her eyes at the shooter. He flew back with a scream.

"Thanks," he muttered, and she smiled.

"Anytime."

"C'mon you lovebirds, we have to get back to the mansion!" Elisabeth yelled and Charles instinctively grabbed Rosabelle's hand and began pulling her towards the mansion, yanking her back up whenever she tripped. The others started back towards the mansion when there was a thud.

_NO!_ The voice was so loud in Charles' head that he gasped and pressed a hand to his aching temple. _Nononono please wake up! _He recognized the voice almost immediately and turned to find Marianne sliding on her knees next to Hank, who was lying face down in the slush. She rolled him onto his back and was checking for a pulse.

A hundred darts flew in the sky towards them, but as Charles shouted the darts seemed to bounce right off of the air around them. In fact, all the darts seemed to just be bouncing off the air around the area where they were standing altogether. It was then he realized that a hand had left his grasp. He looked over and saw that Rosabelle had her hands up, concentrating furiously.

"I can't hold it for very long," she said through gritted teeth, like all her concentration was being put into that force field. "You need to hurry and get them out of there!" Charles nodded and ran to Marianne's side, where she was shaking her head and sobbing. Hank looked like he was dead, but his chest was barely rising and falling. If it weren't for his brain waves, Charles would have assumed that his dear friend was dead.

"Marianne, we need to get out of here. Help me pull up Hank."

_No, this can't be happening. This isn't supposed to happen._ She just kept mouthing his name over and over again, like she was trying to say it aloud.

"Marianne, we need to hurry. Rose can't hold that force field for very long." Then, he heard it. It was a whimper and barely audible, but it was there.

"Hank." He stared at Marianne in shock. She was frozen, staring at Hank and holding her neck with her throat. She looked up at him in disbelief.

"You have your voice back," he muttered. Her blue eyes sparked, but not with happiness.

With fury.

"And my power," she said. Her voice was hoarse and cracked in several different places. She stood and faced the crowd of scientists. "You are all going to pay," she murmured, and even with the cracking voice she still sounded deadly. "Pick up your guns and press the barrels to your foreheads." They obeyed unwillingly, all of them looking absolutely terrified.

"Marianne, don't," Charles said in a warning voice, and looked over his shoulder. All of the girls looked scared, and the men were throwing nervous glances at one another. It was obvious that no one had ever seen petite, fragile Marianne like this before. "They don't deserve this."

"No, _Hank_ doesn't deserve this," she said, gesturing at the blue man in the snow, barely alive. "They deserve to feel like how all those other kids felt. Like how my brother felt." Her eyes locked on one scientist and she walked out of the force field, ignoring Rosabelle's protests and walking over to that scientist. "You remember him, right? The one that could feel emotions?" He hesitated, looking at anyone but her. "Answer me!"

"Yes, I remember," he said painfully, his arms probably aching from pressing the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

"Marianne, stop this now!" Charles shouted. "This isn't you!"

"What was his name again? Tell me his name and age."

"William Jones…eleven." Lucy bit her lip so hard it bled, remembering Willy very well. He was such a sweet kid, always had nothing but nice things to say to everyone. Sean noticed and took her hand. Lucy didn't want to listen anymore; she didn't want to think about Willy, or any of the other ridiculously young kids that hadn't been fast enough. They just hadn't been fast enough.

"And what did you do to him, _doctor_?" The way she said "doctor" made chills run up and down Charles' spine. "_Tell me exactly what you did to him._" She said every word slowly and clearly, and made sure each one practically oozed with hatred and anger.

"I…I cracked open his skull and removed his brain for examination." A choked sob broke the deadly silence, and Alex wrapped a strong arm around Elisabeth's shoulders as Lucy hid her face in Sean's shoulder, plugging her ears. Charles looked back at Rosabelle. Her eyes were closed and tears streamed down her cheeks. A thin line of blood escaped her nose and she began to tremble from holding up the force field. She was reaching her limit.

"He was only eleven," she said. "He wasn't even a teenager, _doctor_. Most of the kids at the lab were barely even teenagers. Most of them were barely even _kids._" Another choked sob and the scientist swallowed painfully. Marianne looked back over her shoulder.

"Do you still think he doesn't deserve this?"

"Marianne, do you think William would want this? Do you think Hank wants this?" he shot back, ignoring her question. "Everyone deserves a second chance, my dear. You are better than this." He saw it the moment he mentioned her brother. That hard shell she had been keeping around her for all these years was slowly starting to crack.

"No, he wouldn't want this," she whispered, not quite sure who she was referring to, and looked back at the scientist, her body tensing. "Do you feel any remorse? Any regret or guilt for killing those harmless, innocent children that were barely even thirteen? Answer me honestly, doctor."

"Of course I do," he responded almost immediately. "I was under direct orders though. I had no choice." She seemed to relax slightly at this. Rosabelle dropped to her knees as more blood dripped from her nose.

"You will go to your employer and tell him that if I ever find out that he's taking more mutant children, I will personally hunt him down and kill him myself." He nodded, his eyes widening. Marianne backed up and looked at the crowd of scientists. Scientists that ruined her life and took everything away from her. She wanted to kill all of them; she wanted to avenge her brother and those little kids so badly. But Charles was right.

She was better than this.

"This order is for all of you. You are going to quit your jobs today. You are going to go home and kiss your wife and kids and treat them right. You are going to never hurt another mutant ever again. You are going to forget any of this ever happened, and you are going to stay the hell away from this mansion, because if I see any of you within three miles of this mansion, I will kill you. Is that understood?" There was a wave of nods. "Good, now get out of my sight." As soon as they disappeared into the trees, Marianne's shell broke completely and she dropped to her knees, bending over. Rosabelle dropped the force field and collapsed onto the porch.

The girls ran to aid her while Charles jogged to where Marianne was sobbing uncontrollably, dropping to his knees beside her. He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair, whispering things like "shhh" and "it's alright" while he rocked her gently. Once she had calmed down, he pulled back and took her face in his hands, wiping away tears with his thumb. "I am so, so proud of you," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "You did the right thing."

A weak smile made its way onto her face. "Thanks." He placed his arm under her legs and picked her up, trudging across the snow. Alex and Sean were pulling a groaning Hank up, his feet making marks in the slush as they walked into the mansion, all of them feeling both physically and emotionally exhausted.

**So I was going to add the beginning of the next chapter to the end of this, but decided that it would be better to just leave it here. I had a really hard time writing the majority of this chapter, but hey, it made my best friend tear up, so I guess I did a good job. I also showed this to my old English teacher (I need second opinions and I love her), and she said that to her it was very realistic…well, as realistic as a fanfic filled with mutants could get. I planning on ending this soon, but I'm thinking about a sequel. Thoughts? Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Right now I'm just imagining James McAvoy in a doctor's outfit…oops, just drooled a little.**

Bright lights. That's what Hank could see from behind his eyelids. He saw bright lights and felt a gentle hand stroking back his hair. It was nice, and a sense of peace washed over him. But he had to open his eyes and let everyone know that he was alright. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open and he was suddenly swimming in blue and red. His eyesight was slightly blurry, which was odd, but he knew that it was Marianne looking down at him.

This must have been how Prince Eric felt when he saw Ariel for the first time.

"Hi," she greeted meekly, her hand still smoothing down his hair. Her voice was hoarse and cracked as she spoke, but he couldn't decide if that was from emotion or the fact that she hadn't used her voice in years.

"You got your voice back," he said groggily, and she laughed.

"Yeah, I did. It feels good."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few days, you had us all worried sick." He remembered the reason why he was here, and what had gone down, and looked at her with his blurry vision.

"What you did back in the yard," he began, and she avoided his eyes, "not a lot of people can do that. Give those men a second chance." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Nobody had to die, so I made sure that nobody did. And everyone deserves a second chance, especially you." This confused him for a moment.

"What? What are you talking about?" She grinned.

"Close your eyes." He obeyed unwillingly, and laughed as he remembered her power. "Don't peek." As much as he tried to open his eyes, he couldn't.

"Right, I almost forgot that you're a manipulator."

"Yep, and don't you forget it." She helped him slowly sit up, placing something on his nose. Her hands then took his own, they felt so small in his, and placed them in front of his face. "Okay, open your eyes." He did so and was shocked at what he saw.

His skin was a peach color again, no blue skin or fur, no claws or anything. He reached up to touch his face, and found that it was hairless as well. "I'm…I'm…"

"Cured," she finished. "For now anyway, that's what was in the dart. Charles said it was only temporary; it'll only last a few months. But you still have those awesome feet." His eyes, with better vision thanks to his glasses, trailed down to his feet and he was slightly disappointed to find that they were still mutated. "Why do you look so sad? I think those are the coolest feet I've ever seen." He laughed a little and looked around, noticing Rosabelle in the other bed.

"What happened to Rose?" he asked, and she bit her lip.

"She placed a force field over the mansion, but had to hold it for so long that she became exhausted. She should be getting out today, like you." He nodded and placed his now normal hand over Marianne's sitting on the bed.

"Was my name the first thing you said?" he asked, and she smiled a little. He already knew the answer, but he just wanted to be sure.

"Yeah, it was."

"I see."

"Why did you want to know?"

"No reason, just curious." She nodded with a small smile and looked at her hands. "Marianne?" She tilted her head up to face him and he slowly began leaning down, tilting his head to the side. Their lips just barely brushed before the doors opened, causing them to pull back quickly as Charles entered.

"Hello Marianne," he greeted, kissing her forehead. "Hello Hank, it's good to have you back." He patted his shoulder. "You had us all worried."

"That's what I told him," Marianne said with a pointed look at the blue-eyed boy. "So when can he leave?" Charles looked at his watch.

"Right now, if he wants." The two younger mutants grinned at each other and she helped Hank out of the wires. "Be careful, Hank might still be weak," he warned as the now partly-cured mutant grabbed the red-head's hand and pulled her out of the infirmary, heading up the stairs and into the lounge where everyone was waiting.

"There he is!" Sean said, and Hank was sucked into a vortex of hugs.

"You look like a doofus again," Alex pointed out, which earned him a punch in the arm from Elisabeth. "C'mon, let's watch some television." They all crowded on the couch and on the floor around the couch, with Marianne curled up next to Hank. But she didn't feel as small and fragile as she did the first time she rested her head on his chest. Now she felt strong and sturdy, like the whole situation with the scientists made her stronger.

Maybe it did.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Charles lounged on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Everything changed, in not even three hours. Hank was cured (mostly), Marianne had her voice back, and everyone was so much closer to one another. It was a nice feeling, knowing that everything was okay. For now, anyway.

_Knock, knock._

He stood, curious as to who that might be, and opened the door to find Rosabelle standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face.

"Hi."

"Hello. May I come in?" He stepped to the side and she entered, sitting at the foot of his bed. He sat next to her and got a sense of déjà vu. She felt it as well, judging by her thoughts. But she didn't stay sitting for long, soon she was up and pacing. "So I've been thinking, we could've died a couple days ago, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"And there were still a lot of things that some people haven't said to each other-no, don't interrupt, let me finish." Charles closed his mouth and waited for her to continue. "There were some things that I have yet to say to you, for example. And I realized a couple of days ago that I need to hurry up and say those things, because I might not get another chance."

"Rose, just sit down, you need your rest."

"Oh, shut up!" Suddenly she was bent over in front of him, her hands grasping his face and her lips crashing against his. He rested a hand on her waist and she pulled back, biting her lip. "Sorry, too fast?"

"No, much too slow if you ask me." She laughed and kissed him again, this time lowering herself down onto his lap. He placed his hands on her waist again, pulling her closer to him. Her hands moved down to the hem of the t-shirt he was wearing, pulling it up. He raised his arms and she pulled it over his head.

"It was always you Rose," he whispered. "It was always you."

"I know," she replied, kissing him again. "Trust me Charles, I know." His hand went to the zipper of her dress, but he hesitated.

"Are you sure about this?" She nodded.

"Positive."

"Are you-"

"Oh for goodness sake Charles!" she exclaimed and grabbed his hand, making his fingers grab the zipper and pulling his hand down. He looked up at her and saw it in her eyes. She wanted this. "Go on." He pulled her back down for a kiss, sliding the straps of the dress off of her shoulders.

The door closed on its own accord and locked with a quiet click.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy glanced down at her composition, rather satisfied with her work. She had finally finished, finally found that missing piece. Turns out, the song was melancholy. It was depressing and haunting and she was, believe it or not, proud of herself for finally finishing something. The doorknob rattled a little before there was a sigh and a knock on the door. She giggled and stood, walking over to it and swinging it open, being welcomed with a bouquet of Lilies.

"Oh my goodness," she gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Sean's head poked out from behind the flowers, and he grinned like a schoolboy.

"Um…Marianne told me you liked Lilies. So, I went and got you some as soon as the snow finished melting." The tips of his ears went red and she laughed, taking the bouquet.

"They're beautiful, Sean, thank you." He smiled and looked down at his hands. "Would you like to come in?" He nodded and entered the room, Lucy nudging the door closed with her foot. Sean sat down on her bed as she placed the Lilies in a vase and put some water from the sink in it. Sean took the finished composition and looked down at it.

"Hey, you finally finished it!" She walked out of the bathroom and smiled, placing the vase of Lilies on the dresser.

"Yeah, it decided to have a mind of its own and become depressing." He laughed and held it out to her.

"Why don't you play it for me?" A strange look passed over her face and she snorted.

"Uh, no. I don't play for audiences."

"But I'm only one person, I don't count." She let out a breath through her nose and gave him an exasperated look before picking up her guitar and setting her music on the bed. Then she sighed again and began to play. Lucy had been right. It was a very melancholy sound, but it was like a sort of twisted lullaby. Sean loved it. When she finished, he grinned. "That was amazing Lucy!" he complimented and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"It's not my best work, but you know, I'm proud of it."

"You should be, it's amazing!" She blushed deeper and looked down. "So, um, I think you can guess why I'm here."

"I had a feeling due to the flowers."

"Well, it's sort of hard to explain, so…I think I'll just show you." Then he leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. She looked at him in shock, blinking a few times. After a moment, Lucy seemed to come back to reality and leaned over her guitar, placing her lips softly against his. He was surprised at first, but then kissed her back, cupping her cheek in his hand. She kept one hand on her guitar and placed her other hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. They pulled away and smiled at each other.

"Now we just need to get Marianne with Hank and Rose with Charles," she whispered and he laughed. Suddenly, someone shouted Charles' name rather loudly. The two shared an amused look, chuckling.

"I think Rose and Charles are taken care of."

**Haha Rose, you're so loud…**

**I'm not sure about this one, my muse kind of took over on Charles' and Rose's part. Yeah…she's gonna pay for that.**


	9. Chapter 9

Elisabeth sat at the table the next day, stirring her spoon absentmindedly in her coffee. She didn't even notice Alex walk in until he had leaned down to kiss her cheek. She snapped out of her reverie and smiled at him, pecking his lips.

"You looked like you were very deep in thought, care to share?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"What happened in the yard…that was my fault," she said slowly, as if just now realizing it. "I'm the one that convinced Charles to let us go outside. All of it is my fault." She looked up at him, tears welling in her big brown eyes. Alex's face suddenly went serious and he knelt in front of her, taking her hands.

"Hey," he said softly, cupping her cheek in his hand and making her look at him. "It wasn't your fault, Elle. Those guys would have attacked eventually, we're just lucky that it was sooner rather than later. We're all okay, Elisabeth. You didn't do anything." She drew a shuddering breath and rested her forehead against his.

"How do you always know what to say?" she asked quietly and he chuckled.

"Beats me." She smiled and leaned down, kissing him lightly. "Listen, there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?"

He took a deep breath. _Well, it's now or never_. "I…I love you." She sat there for a moment, staring at him in shock. "Like…a lot." Then, a very wide smile spread across her face and she threw her arms around him.

"I love you too," she whispered into his ear, hugging him tight. He laughed a little in relief and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her shoulder. They pulled apart and kissed for a moment before they had to pull away due to Lucy walking into the kitchen, throwing them a look and rolling her eyes. Sean walked in and snaked an arm around Lucy's waist, kissing her passionately. Alex and Elisabeth shared a look, smiling. Rosabelle and Charles soon entered, and Lucy whistled.

"Look at you two lovebirds! Could you have been any louder yesterday?" Rosabelle's eyes widened and she blushed fiercely. Charles threw a look at Lucy, who shrugged and blew on her coffee. "What?"

"God, could you two be any more hormonal?" a voice asked, and Marianne made her way around the pair and over to the counter, lifting herself up onto it. She grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit and studied it, wiping it on her shirt while saying, "Seriously, Alex and Elisabeth have been together longer than you two and they haven't even had sex yet." Elisabeth's jaw dropped and Alex rolled his eyes.

"I liked you better without your voice," Elisabeth muttered, a frown settling on her face.

"Marianne," Rosabelle said with a sigh.

"What? I can't be honest?"

"No," almost everyone said at once. She rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to ground me or something?"

"I just might," Charles replied and she rolled her eyes again, biting into her apple. Hank made his way into the room and lifted himself up next to Marianne.

"It feels odd not having hair all over my body anymore." Marianne giggled and shook her head, taking another bite of the apple.

"Hey, toss me an apple," Elisabeth said and Marianne obeyed, sighing a little and leaning over onto Hank. There was a silence in the room for several moments, in which Charles had leaned over and kissed Rosabelle. There was a gag and everyone looked over at Marianne, who glanced up and pointed at Elisabeth. The brunette opened her mouth into an "O" and dropped her apple, looking scandalized.

"C'mon, let's get out of here before you cause any more trouble," Hank said, jumping down from the counter and taking her hand, tugging until she hopped down from the counter and followed him out of the room, throwing up a rather rude hand gesture when someone in the room whistled. "Stop being so moody," he whispered in her ear as they walked down the hallway, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'm just really tired. Can we go sit in the pool room? It's so peaceful in there." He shrugged and nodded.

"Sure." The two walked down the corridor and after a few turns were opening the door of the pool room, walking into the humid space. Hank immediately felt sweaty and continued pulling on his shirt, even after shedding his jacket and scarf and shoes. Marianne, however, was stretched out on a lawn chair and looking content, her shoes and jacket on the chair next to her. "How can you be comfortable? It's so humid in here!"

"I spent most of my life in Florida, Hank," she informed him, closing her eyes. "It feels like home." Hank continued pulling on his shirt before finally sighing and pulling it off, draping it over the chair as he began working on his belt. Marianne opened one eye and immediately blushed. "What are you doing?"

"It's a pool room, right? Might as well make use of it." He pulled off his socks and stripped down to his boxers, taking a few steps back before launching forward and cannon-balling into the pool. She stood from her seat and crouched at the edge of the pool, laughing and shaking her head.

"You're crazy, Hank McCoy!"

"Join me!" He laughed at the shocked look on her face. "C'mon Marianne, the water is great!"

"No! Are you crazy?"

"Oh come on! Just for a minute." He took her hand and began pulling her, despite her hurried protests. Finally she shrieked and tumbled into the pool. She kicked her way up and broke the surface with a gasp, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I hate you!" she yelled playfully, splashing him. "I can't believe you did that." Still, she awkwardly pulled off her soaking shirt and jeans, tossing them up onto dry land. Hank suddenly turned back into the awkward nerd from before upon seeing her in only her bra and underwear. "What? Is there something on my face?" Her hands rose to her face and he laughed a little, shaking his head.

"You just make me a little nervous," he admitted, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. She quirked an eyebrow.

"It's basically a bikini; I don't see what makes you so nervous." She floated up onto her back and swam slowly away from him. He rolled his eyes and followed her. She swam back against the wall and he trapped her there, bringing his face mere inches from hers.

"In all honesty," he whispered, "you in general make me nervous." She placed a hand on his chest and the other one cupped his cheek. A small smile crossed her face and she started to rise, bringing her face closer to his.

The door suddenly swung open and a voice said, "Hey Hank-oh…uh…"

Marianne laughed a little in disbelief, resting her forehead on Hank's chest and muttering, "Damn it." Hank looked up at Alex, who looked unsure of what to say.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not anymore," Marianne replied, lifting her head. "What do you want?" A boyish grin appeared on his face, which slightly worried the pair in the pool.

"We have visitors." Alex caught Hank's eye and gave him a knowing look before walking out of the pool room. Hank pulled himself out of the pool and dried himself off before pulling on his clothes and following Alex into the hall. Marianne also got out of the pool, but since her clothes were still soaked she settled for one of the robes hanging by the door. It went to her knees and was soft on her skin, two things she appreciated. She tied it around her waist and walked out into the hall, following the two boys at the front while pulling her hair over one shoulder. Alex said something to Hank, who stopped for a moment before taking off down the hall. This made Marianne worried, and she walked a little faster after Alex, stopping in the doorway of the lounge.

Everyone that was originally in the mansion was gathered in the room, hugging a group of people that had seemed to just appear out of nowhere. There was a red man with a pointed tail and ears that was shaking people's hand, although he was obviously uncomfortable. A Latin man who looked much too cocky for his own good was chatting up Elisabeth, who kept throwing "save me" looks to Alex, who was too busy shaking the hand of a very tall man with green eyes and brown hair. Lucy obviously was uncomfortable due to this man, because she kept to herself in the other doorway, shooting him nervous looks every now and then. Charles, Rosabelle, and Sean were talking with a woman that had platinum blonde hair and not enough clothes on. _Tramp._ Then she caught sight of Hank, and her heart stopped.

He was locked in an embrace with an azure-skinned woman with hair just as red as Marianne's and yellow eyes. It was clear by their body language that at one point they had been more than friends. She blinked a few times and tried to swallow the large lump in her throat, but it stayed there. Lucy noticed and mouthed, "Are you okay?" in her direction. Marianne nodded, but wouldn't meet her best friend's green eyes. The cocky Latin man then noticed her and swaggered up.

"Hey there _senorita_," he greeted, flashing a smile that showed off a row of pearly white teeth. "Need some help drying off?" Her eyes flickered from Hank to this man, and they narrowed into a glare. She didn't say anything, just turned on her heel and walked away from the group.

_It's not like he was mine in the first place._

Charles heard this thought and looked over his shoulder, barely noticing the flash of red that turned the corner. Lucy peeked around the corner before flashing a nasty look at the embracing Hank and Raven, shaking her head and walking into the kitchen. Janos looked around with a confused face. "What did I do?" he asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down next to Elisabeth, who groaned. Charles looked back over to Emma, who was staring down the hall as well.

_I'm assuming you heard that as well?_ he asked and she nodded, her eyebrows furrowing. She started to walk in that direction, but Charles held out a hand. _Leave her be for the moment_. Emma frowned, but nodded anyway. Sean and Rosabelle threw each other confused looks, but shrugged.

_Telepaths._

**xxxxOxxxx**

Marianne yanked the brush through her hair after a nice long shower, dressed in her most comfortable pajama shorts and an old tank top, fully intent on listening to the classical music on the radio until she fell asleep. After deciding that her scalp had had enough torture for now, Marianne grabbed the nearest hair-tie and walked out of her bathroom, sitting on the bed. Tears jumped to her eyes as she tried not to think about Hank and the blue woman, but she couldn't help it. She swiped at her eyes and sniffled, crawling up to the head of her bed and crawling under the covers, turning on the radio. Just as she was about to change the station, there was a _poof _and a cloud of blue smoke, and then three people were suddenly in her room. She screamed a little and pressed herself against the headboard, staring at the tall man with the green eyes as he walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hello Marianne," he greeted in a friendly voice. "I'm Erik."

"How do you know my name?" she asked shakily, pulling the blanket over her legs, suddenly feeling very exposed.

"Emma here is a telepath. She knows everything." The blonde smiled stiffly, and she blushed.

_Sorry about that._ Marianne noticed the red-skinned man standing awkwardly off to the side, and she smiled at him, waving a little. He returned the wave, but didn't lose his uncomfortable stance. "Marianne," Erik said, catching her attention with that lovely voice. "You have a very powerful gift, one that could be used to help my cause."

"Your cause?" He nodded. "What cause?"

"If you accept, then I'll explain everything." He held out his hand, and she narrowed her eyes.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked suspiciously, and he chuckled.

"You don't. But you know that somewhere deep inside you, you want to trust me." She looked down at his hand and felt like taking his hand and letting him whisk her away. She started to lift her hand, but snapped out of the trance and looked away. Did he have a manipulation power as well?

"I need to think about it." He nodded a little, patting her legs.

"We'll be here two weeks, which should be more than enough time to ponder over everything." He stood and walked back over to Emma and the red man. "Choose wisely, Marianne." They disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, and Marianne sat there for a moment before changing the station on the radio and sinking down into her blanket. Maybe it would be better if she accepted. Maybe there wouldn't be this hurting feeling in her heart if she accepted.

**So this is more Marianne centered, and just so you know, I was totally planning on hooking her and Hank up in this chapter, but then I got a stroke of inspiration, like "what if Raven came back and ruined everything?" So yeah, there's probably going to be some Raven-bashing in the next few chapters. Sorry…**

**So, remember when I said I was going to end this story soon? Changed my mind ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**For all of you saying there isn't enough Havok *pointed look at Druid Archer*, don't worry, I'm planning a big scene for him and Elisabeth. Not trying to get ya in trouble, Druid, just poking some fun. I love you guys; you're the best readers an author could have!**

Erik's group had only been there for two days, and the girls were already getting sick of them. Elisabeth had discovered a deep hatred for Janos, whom the others called Riptide or whatever. The cocky Latin man had no respect for her personal space, always sitting down right beside her or standing much too close for comfort. Alex simply smirked whenever she threw him an exasperated look.

Lucy tried her best to distance herself from Erik, but he seemed to have taken an interest in her, always asking her about her power or how she was. It worried her, so she tried her best to stay as close to Sean as possible whenever she could. It wasn't hard, Sean told her himself that he liked it more when she was around.

Rosabelle found Emma Frost and her power rather interesting, asking for demonstrations sometimes. Emma was happy with the attention, and Charles had to replace two windows because she kept cutting circles into them with her diamond finger.

Marianne had been mostly keeping to herself, staying away from the expectant Erik and from Raven, who seemed to have glued herself to Hank's hip.

"I don't even know why they're here," Lucy said the third day of their stay, pulling at the grass as the girls sat in the yard on a particularly nice day. "It's stupid."

"Charles told me they're here because Erik is a good friend of his, and Raven is like his sister," Rosabelle told them. Marianne blinked at the sound of her name, but that was the only emotion she showed. "Emma Frost is rather nice, although she is a bit cold." A coy smile appeared on the telekinetic's face, and she laughed at the cat calls that she received for her bad joke. "But seriously, Emma is okay."

"I hate that stupid Janos," Elisabeth hissed, scowling. "The word 'no' apparently isn't in his vocabulary." Lucy smiled and patted her hand. "You're awfully quiet, Marianne. Is everything okay?" Marianne nodded and Lucy leaned over, whispering what she thought was wrong in the brunette's ear. "Oh. Well anyway, I think we should all go out and try to forget about them for just one day, if anything. Do I have any agreement?" Everyone raised their hands and she laughed with a nod.

"I just need to get dressed," Marianne said, standing and walking back towards the mansion in her pajamas.

"It's that Raven girl! She's been latched to Hank since she got here," Lucy told the group, shaking her head. "It's ridiculous. Hank _obviously_ had feelings for Marianne, but after _she_ showed up, it was like Hank completely forgot about her."

"Tragic," Rosabelle murmured, watching the red-head walk up the steps and into the house. Marianne turned a corner and started in the direction of her room when a puff of blue smoke appeared and Azazel smiled politely at her.

"Erik wants to know if you have decided," he said and she scowled.

"I still need time, considering he's planning to take me away from my family."

"But they aren't your family." She whipped around and glared as Erik stepped out from behind a wall and leaned against it.

"They're the closest thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed." She turned and walked past Azazel, but Erik was hot on her heels.

"Why should you have to stay for them? They're talking about you right now, as we speak."

"I'm sure they are Erik," Marianne said, rolling her eyes and pulling out the key to her door. She was whipped around and pressed against the door, Erik's hands pinning her wrists against the door.

"Why won't you just accept the fact that I'm trying to help you?" he hissed.

"By taking me away from the only people who care about me? That's not helping," she responded, and winced as his grasp on her wrists grew tighter. "Erik, you're hurting me."

"Have you ever considered the thought that maybe I care about you?" he whispered, his face hovering centimeters above hers. "That I want to take away all your pain and heartbreak?" Charles then turned the corner, but stopped and backed up, peeking around it instead.

"You've only known me for two days," she said. "There's no way you already care about me." Finally, she set her jaw. "Let go of my wrists." He tried to fight it, but her power was too strong. His hands were wrenched from her wrists and he gasped, looking up at her in shock. She cupped his cheek with her hand. "Erik, if you cared about me then you wouldn't be doing this." She unlocked her door and walked inside, holding onto the doorway for a moment. "Good luck with your cause, but if it means leaving the people I love then I won't be a part of it." With that, she closed the door right in his face. Erik just stood there, staring at his hands in shock.

"She's powerful, isn't she?" Erik turned around and nodded at Charles, who was walking down the hall with his hands in his pockets. "Only two days and you're already trying to corrupt the young people? Shame on you." Erik smirked and Charles held out his hand in the direction of his office. "I believe we have an unfinished game of chess." The smirk grew wider and Erik followed Charles down the hall.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Marianne stared down at her wrists, shocked at the glaring red marks that wrapped around them. She pulled off her tank top just as a knock sounded on her door. She walked over to it and leaned back against the wall beside it. "Who is it?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"It's me," Hank's familiar voice called out. "Can I come in?" Marianne's hand automatically went to the lock on her door but she hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath. "Please?" With a sigh, Marianne reached back out and unlocked the door, walking over to her dresser as it opened and Hank walked in. "Oh geez, uh…" She looked up to see him looking at anyone but her, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What? It's not like you haven't seen me like this before," she muttered, grabbing a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. "Would you mind closing the door?" He nudged it shut with his foot and glanced away as she pulled off her shorts and pulled on her jeans. "What do you want?" His eyes flicked to her wrists and concern knitted his eyebrows as he turned into Dr. Hank McCoy. He crossed the room and took her hands, studying her wrists.

"What happened?" he asked, looking up at her with those pretty blue eyes.

"It was nothing, just a disagreement."

"With who?"

"None of your business!" she snapped, pulling her wrists out of his grasp. "If you didn't come here to talk to me about anything important, then I suggest you run back to your girlfriend. I'm going out with the girls and she's probably looking for you anyway." Hank looked confused for a moment.

"My girlfriend?" She gave him a look, pulling on the shirt. "Raven?" Another look. "Marianne, she's not my girlfriend."

"Could've fooled me." Hank watched her pull on her shoes and he sighed through his nose.

"You should know that I don't like Raven. You should know _exactly_ who I like."

"Well you certainly haven't been acting like you have feelings for me. You haven't talked to me once since Raven got here."

"_You_ could've talked to _me_!"

"She was always glued to your hip, Hank! I didn't want to be rude!" She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm not fighting with you today. Not when I'm already in a terrible mood."

"So let me make you feel better," he said, reaching for her hand. She took a step back and he looked at her with a look that reminded her of a lost puppy. "Marianne, don't do this to me." The mere tone of his voice automatically made Marianne feel guilty, and she let him take her hand and pull her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Marianne. I never meant to make you think that." She sighed and pulled back, patting his arm a little with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I forgive you." She started pulling away, but he pulled her back towards him, leaning down. She smiled, thinking that there was no way they could be interrupted this time.

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Hey Marianne! You coming or not?" Elisabeth's voice called from behind the door and Marianne sighed.

"Every time," she whispered, then called out, "I'll be right out." She stepped back from Hank and smiled before opening the door and walking out into the hallway, following Elisabeth down the hall. Hank sighed and leaned against the doorway, running a hand through his hair.

_Next time, I'm not going to let anything interrupt us._

**xxxxOxxxx**

"What are you doing here Erik?" Charles asked, moving one of the chess pieces.

"Am I not allowed to visit an old friend?"

"After you tried to blow up hundreds of ships with thousands of people near Cuba? Not really, no." Erik chuckled.

"Alright, you caught me. Raven wouldn't quit bugging me to visit you, so I decided it would be nice to visit you as well." He smiled and shrugged. "Besides, I thought it would be nice to see everyone again. You got some new mutants, I've noticed."

"Yes, and you seem to have taken a personal interest in Marianne. Care to explain?" Erik stopped reaching forward to move his chest piece and sat back, smiling a little.

"She doesn't realize how powerful she is, Charles. She uses her voice for her power! That's magnificent! Think of all we could accomplish with her! We could make the humans accept us, and then we wouldn't have to hide!"

"That's the easy way, but it's not the right way. We can't do that Erik. They have to accept us over time, or else it just wouldn't be moral." Erik gave him a hard look and stood.

"Well, it isn't your decision to make, Charles. It's up to Marianne." With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, fully intent on forcing Marianne to join if he had to.

**xxxxOxxxx**

"Janos, I swear to God if you don't back up about five feet I will personally kick your ass into next year." The Latin man just smiled and snaked up closer to Elisabeth, who had returned from shopping with the girls not too long ago.

"It would be worth it," he whispered in her ear, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. Elisabeth scowled and shoved him away, shaking her head.

"Piss off!"

"Is there a problem?" The voice made Janos visibly shrink away from Elisabeth as an arm snaked around her waist and a pair of lips pressed against the corner of her mouth. "Janos, are you bothering Elisabeth?" Janos held up his hands and backed away.

"Of course not," he said, and then threw Elisabeth a wink. Alex took a step towards him and Janos high-tailed it out of there. Elisabeth smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. He smelled like pine trees today.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his chest. He responded by kissing the top of her head. She pulled back and stood up onto her tip-toes, pressing her lips gently against his. He responded eagerly, placing a hand on the back of her neck and back and pulling her closer to him. She smiled in the kiss and pulled back, resting her forehead against his. "I love you," she whispered and he grinned.

Something about those words coming out of her mouth just seemed right, and he murmured, "I love you too."

**Aww mushy gooey fluffiness at the end! Oh, my muse has a cavity…oops, maybe too sweet. While I take her to my mental dentist (I seriously think I'm crazy), please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So some readers have been complaining that there isn't enough of so-and-so in the story. Don't worry guys; I know what I'm doing. I've got a big idea brewing for Alex/Elisabeth, I've got several ideas for Sean/Lucy, and the section below is what I believe to be a very big moment in Charles and Rosabelle's relationship. Just trust me, I'm getting to it.**

"So, who is Erik anyway?" Rosabelle asked, sitting down on the couch beside Charles in his room and curling up next to him. "He seems sort of fishy to me. I know Lucy doesn't trust him."

"That's because Sean told her that Erik is crazy." Rosabelle giggled and rested her head on his chest. "Erik Lensherr had once been arguably my best friend, besides Raven. See, when he was a boy he was sent to a concentration camp in Germany." Rosabelle's eyes went wide. "Erik can manipulate metal, and Sebastian Shaw had wanted him to move a coin. He couldn't, unfortunately, and Shaw killed his mother because of it."

"Bastard," she muttered, and he chuckled.

"Indeed. Since then Erik had harbored a very violent grudge against him. One night, a little after I discovered that there were other mutants besides myself and Raven, I went with the CIA in an attempt to capture Shaw. He escaped in a submarine, and Erik, being the determined man he is, went after the submarine and tried to lift it out of the water. I knew he was going to die and jumped in after him. I was able to successfully calm his mind and pull him back to safety. He was, for lack of better word, pissed at me, but we had formed a sort of bond that night and soon became close friends. After that, we began recruiting mutants to take down Shaw, who was planning on having the Russians launch missiles at the United States."

"That was his fault?" Rosabelle asked and he nodded. "My God, what an evil man."

"I agree. That's how we found Alex, Hank, and Sean. There was also two more, Angel and Armando. Angel could fly and Armando could adapt to his surroundings. But Angel went with Shaw and Armando…well…it turns out he couldn't adapt to everything." Rosabelle winced, and Charles squeezed her shoulders.

"The morning we went to capture Shaw and stop the missiles from being launched, many things happened so quickly that they now seem like almost a blur. I only remember a few important things. I was able to stop the missiles from being launched by taking over a sailor's mind, and Erik had killed Shaw, but unfortunately I had been controlling him at that moment, so I felt the pain as well." Rosabelle kissed his cheek gently, and he smiled. "But, in order to have accomplished his mission, Erik rose the submarine right out of the water, thus giving away the existence of mutants to the Russian and American military.

"They turned on us, just like Erik had predicted. Instead of launching missiles at each other, they launched them at us." She gasped and he nodded. "Erik had been able to stop them, but then he did the unthinkable: he turned the missiles on the ships. I tried so hard to reason with him, I couldn't access his mind because of a helmet he had acquired, but it became clear when he launched the missiles that there would be no reasoning with him. The Erik Lensherr I once knew was gone, and had been replaced by something much darker.

"Moira decided to be brave but stupid, and started firing her gun at him. It stopped him from following through with the missiles, but in return it nearly took away my walking ability." Rosabelle's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she pulled back as he started to turn around. He pulled up the back of his shirt, revealing on his back a piece of skin that shined in the light. She reached out and gently ran her finger over it. "He had been deflecting the bullets, but one had gone haywire and penetrated my back. Hank said that if I had moved even one centimeter before it had hit me, I would've been paralyzed from the waist down. This is the first time I've seen Erik in two years, and it's safe to say that I was shocked." Rosabelle hadn't heard the last sentence, though, because when Charles turned back around she had thrown her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that," she whispered. "Nobody should ever have to go through that, especially you." He smiled a little and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I love you Charles. I don't care if you're shocked or you don't love me back. I just want you to know that I love you so much," she mumbled, her voice muffled by his shoulder, but still audible. He pulled back and took her face in his hands, looking straight into her eyes.

"I love you more," he murmured and she smiled, letting him brush away a stray tear. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his with so much passion that it almost overwhelmed both of them. He responded by placing her hand on his waist and moving forwards, making her lay on her back on the couch. Suddenly she stopped and pushed at his chest a little, an odd look crossing her face. "What's wrong?"

"I…" She trailed, placing a hand over her mouth before she bolted up from the couch and into the bathroom, where she barely made it to the toilet. Charles quickly stood and followed her path, holding back her hair and whispering soothing words the whole time. When she finished, he ran a wash cloth under warm water and held it out to her. "Thank you," she mumbled, burying her face in it as he flushed the toilet. "Sorry about that, it was the lunch I had while I was shopping."

"No need to apologize my dear, it's simply the way the human body reacts to bacteria sometimes." She smiled into the washcloth and rolled her eyes.

"I love it when you talk smart," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Let's get you to the bed. You're going to rest for a few hours, and then I'm taking you to see Hank." He helped her up and wrapped a protective arm around her waist, walking with her out of the bathroom and towards his bed. After laying her down, he set up a trashcan next to her head and kissed her forehead again. "Try and get some sleep." She nodded and brushed a piece of hair out of his face before she turned on her side and closed her eyes, falling asleep. He sighed and stared at her slumbering face for a moment before turning and walking to his couch, sitting down, and pulling out a book, reading quietly as Rosabelle gently snored in the bed.

**xxxxOxxxx**

Lucy walked quietly through the halls of the upper floors of the mansion, running her fingers along the walls. Every now and then she would peek inside a room, but never found anything interesting. She was fixing to give up on her little journey when a voice called out, "Hi!" She turned and found herself face to face with Raven. Just the sight of her blue skin and yellow eyes made Lucy fight the urge to clench her fists and belt out the chorus of _Sweet Caroline_. How dare she cause her friend pain and then expect Lucy to be friendly to her! Sean had said she was wonderful, yet look at what she did to Marianne and Hank's friendship/almost relationship!

"Hello," she said stiffly and Raven frowned.

"Everyone is mad at me for some reason. I don't even know what I did."

"You took Hank away from Marianne is what you did," Lucy said bluntly, and Raven looked shocked. "Why do you look so surprised? I know you've seen the way he looks at her, and yet you keep yourself glued to his hip!"

"What are you talking about? You think I have feelings for Hank?" Lucy gave her a look and Raven laughed. "That's ridiculous! I mean, I used to have feelings for Hank, but I don't anymore. Trust me; I have feelings for someone else." Lucy cut off her argument and she relaxed her hands, which had indeed rolled into fists.

"You…you don't like Hank?" she asked quietly, and Raven laughed, shaking her head.

"No! I did once, but not anymore. I _do_ see how he looks at Marianne, and I would never want to ruin that."

"…Oh." Raven walked up to Lucy and held out her hand.

"Let's start over, yes? I'm Raven Darkholme." Lucy smiled and shook her hand.

"Lucille Baldwinn, but call me Lucy."

"It's nice to meet you, Lucy. Are you up for a burger? I know this amazing place in town that you would just love!" Lucy thought about it for a moment before shrugging and nodding.

"Sure, I like burgers. But you can't go out into public blue. Trust me, Raven, there are people out there who do _not_ like mutants." Raven smiled a little and there was a sound like a deck of cards being shuffled. Suddenly she was a pale skinned blonde with nice blue eyes. "Impressive! Now, shall we?" Raven nodded and looped her arm through Lucy's as the two started walking back towards the stairs. "So who else can you turn into?" she asked as they turned the corner. The shuffling sound repeated. "Whoa!"

**xxxxOxxxx**

Rosabelle sat uneasily in the infirmary, a bucket sitting on her left and Charles sitting on her right. "So, what's wrong exactly?" Hank asked, leaning against a bed sitting across from the pair.

"I think I might have the stomach flu," she explained. "I keep vomiting."

"Oh, is that all?" Rosabelle thought for a moment before producing something between a nod and a shrug. "Well, it's easy to figure out what you have. I'll just take a blood test and send it to some doctor friends of mine. It should be back in, oh, two days at the most." He tied a rubber tube around her arm and the cold of the alcohol he rubbed on her arm made her other hand instinctively reach out and grab Charles'. He squeezed it reassuringly.

"How much will you take?" she asked.

"Not a lot, though you will be light headed. Like every good doctor, I suggest some rest." He flashed a goofy grin in their direction and she smiled, but it quickly disappeared as he pulled out a needle.

"Oh geez, I don't want to do this anymore," she quickly said to Charles.

"Hey, look at me, okay, just keep looking at me," Charles replied, using his free hand to grab her chin and swivel his head towards her. She noticed Hank approaching out of the corner of her eye and began to panic.

"Pinch me," she suddenly said and he looked at her oddly. She straightened out the arm without the rubber tube. "As soon as that needle touches me I want you to pinch me as hard as you can."

"Rosabelle, I'm not going to pinch you."

"If you pinch me then I won't be able to tell which is which." Hank started lowering the needle towards her arm and Rosabelle slammed her eyes shut. "Charles I swear to God if you don't pinch me-"

"Oh fine!" She felt two pinches at once and, just like she predicted, couldn't tell them apart.

"Okay it's over," Hank said, pulling back the needle. "It wasn't that bad." At that moment it was Rosabelle that felt like the younger and Hank that felt like the older of the two. "I'll just send this over to my doctor friends and will find out what's wrong with you before you know it." He smiled at her and placed a band-aid over the hole in her arm. Rosabelle looked over at Charles, then Hank, and blushed.

"Sorry about that. That was embarrassing."

"Don't worry Rose; I had to deal with screaming children once. Last favor I ever did for that friend." She giggled as he put the blood in a container. The room suddenly started spinning and she gripped Charles' forearm.

"I feel dizzy," she muttered and he nodded, scooping her up in his arms. Hank grabbed the trashcan and the two walked to Charles' room, where he set her down in the bed.

"Sleep as long as you need to Rose; don't get up if you don't feel up for it," Hank told her, but his voice was echoing all around her brain. She remembered a pair of lips pressing on her forehead before she descended into blackness.

**It seems that Rosabelle and I share a mutual fear/hate for needles. I'm perfectly fine with vaccines and all that, but when it comes to getting my blood drawn…just no.**

**I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter. It was more light-hearted than the others (other than Charles' speech or whatever to Rosabelle in the beginning).**


End file.
